Coaching staff update

The Black Knights will have their third defensive coordinator in as many seasons in 2020.

Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports tweeted Friday that John Loose has been moved from defensive coordinator to assistant head coach.

Black Knight Nation has learned Michigan defensive analyst Nate Woody has emerged as a leading candidate for the coordinator opening. Woody was Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator in Paul Johnson’s final season in 2018. Army coach Jeff Monken considers Johnson his mentor and confidant after serving as an assistant under him at Navy, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern. Woody’s name has been linked to Army in the past.

Thamel reported that Army’s new defensive coordinator will evaluate the rest of the defensive staff. Black Knight Nation has learned that defensive line coach Kevin Lewis and outside linebackers coach Matt Hachmann, who joined Army’s staff for the 2019 season, will not return.

Wide receivers coach Marcus Edwards also will not return after two seasons on the Black Knights staff, per Thamel’s post.

Loose, who was on the road recruiting this week, succeeded Jay Bateman, who was Army’s defensive coordinator for Monken’s first five seasons at West Point. Loose’s debut as coordinator – 10 sacks in a 70-14 pasting over Houston in the 2018 Armed Forces Bowl, provided hope that Army could continue Bateman’s aggressive style after losing seven starters. The Black Knights recorded only 14 sacks in 2019. Blitzes didn’t disrupt quarterbacks at the frequency of previous seasons. The Black Knights were ranked 109th in third-down defense (44.8 percent) before the bowl season.