The transfer portal opened one way for Army after the Black and Gold spring game.
By Black Knight Nation’s count, 17 players announced they’ve entered the portal including defensive starters Elo Modozie, Jaydan Mayes and Donovan Platt. Sources close to the Army program say the remaining 14 players that entered the portal were cut after the spring game.
To our knowledge, Modozie, a sophomore edge rusher, is the only player to find a new home – committing to national power Georgia.
Where does this leave Army and what might the future look like for the Black Knights and the service academies in regards to the transfer portal? Army coach Jeff Monken spoke to Black Knight Nation about these topics and more.
“It’s worrisome,” Monken said of transfer portal. “But, I’m not losing any sleep over it. I can tell you that. I’m not panicking. We are not going to cancel the season. I intend to play every game that we got on the schedule and I expect our team to win, be competitive and play with everybody this in on that schedule.”
Monken continued, “We’ll have enough guys on our team that will step up and play and battle their butts off. We won’t be as talented as anybody that we play but we will play hard and try to execute really well. That’s how we’ve won every game that we’ve won here. It’s not been on talent.”
Monken said there’s a formula for Army to win. And, it’s been on toughness and execution.
The formula for winning also includes roster construction. Army generally likes to have its roster between 90-100 players after spring ball to accommodate its incoming freshman class, which is years past has been 75 or more plebes.
As non-service academy FBS teams use the transfer portal for “roster management and roster replacement,” the roster is a numbers game for Monken and Army.
“It’s always how we built the roster here,” Monken said. “There’s been a couple of coaches here that tried to do it with fewer guys and taking what they called ‘elite guys’ and it never worked…The only way to do it here is by numbers and that just the way we built it here.”
Players that are cut at Army have the option of remaining with the program. Some have elected to stay with the team in a variety of roles from player assistant coach to equipment staff.
“I think we honor our commitment more than anyone else,” Monken said. “They don’t lose their scholarship with us. There’s other places that are like, ‘you have to go into the transfer portal, we are not going to pay you next year. We are not going to give you a scholarship next year.’ That’s it. That’s happening all over college football.
Monken said he never encourages anyone to depart West Point but sees the other side of players wanting to continue playing.
“I don’t think anybody should leave this place,” Monken said. “This is a great place to get a degree. I never encourage anybody to leave West Point. But if a guy loves football and he wants to start on a college football team, I respect that. I love football. When I was in college, I wanted to play football. That’s why I went to a Division III school. I couldn’t have played at any higher level. Thank goodness there was Millikin and Division III football because it gave me a place to go and be on a team and play. I had a great experience and I loved the opportunity to play.
“If Millikin at any point came to me and said Jeff we don’t think you are good enough or we are going to cut you from the roster, I would have transferred and gone somewhere else because I wanted to play. I respect that about other guys that want to play the game…If he wants to get in the transfer portal and I can help him find a place that he can be a starter on a college football team, I want to help him.”
There are still many unknowns about the transfer portal and the future of player movement. The consensus is that coaches wpil prefer some “guardrails” instituted by the NCAA. Potentially, players could sign with contracts with buyouts. The buyout money may come from revenue sharing.
“Then, it’s going to discourage people from going fishing in the transfer portal and they are going to invest more in the guys that are there,” Monken said. “I think this transfer portal thing will slow down.”
That scenario would make things more interesting for Army and the other service academies. Players from the three schools would not be under contract.
“The academies will be the only places in FBS football that another school can go to the transfer portal and get a guy and not have to pay a buyout,” Monken said. “I think it’s going to make it even more difficult for us. As this thing progresses, I think it’s going to become on the academies rather than easy.”
Back to the present, both Platt and Mayes have not committed to another school as of this writing. Platt reportedly visited Virginia. Monken wishes both starting cornerbacks would stay at West Point.
“I don’t want them to go,” Monken said in the interview Thursday. “I don’t want them to transfer. I don’t know. We’ll see. It’s hard to say. West Point is a hard place and certainly you can find places where it’s easier. You don’t have to study as much. You don’t have professional standards where you have to wear a uniform and the military stuff. It’s different.
“It’s also the price you pay to associate your name with West Point. If you do that it’s going to pay off for a lifetime and that’s hard to see when you are a college-aged kid.”
