Army finished 7-6 overall and 4-4 in the American a year ago, a season that swung from a stunning opening loss to FCS Tarleton State into a road upset of a ranked Kansas State and, eventually, a bowl romp over UConn. The defining story of the offseason is continuity where it matters most: quarterback Cale Hellums returns after seizing the job in September and rewriting the program record book on the ground, and coach Jeff Monken, now entering his 13th year at West Point, brings back eight starters on an offense built to grind.
The flip side is a defense that must replace most of its production under first-year coordinator Daryl Dixon, who takes over after Nate Woody left for Cincinnati. The pieces up front are proven; the back seven is not.