Jeff Monken had Army football on the precipice of the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Monken, who is in his 12th season as the head coach for the Black Knights, could very well be considered for the opening of jobs this offseason. His work at Army ― despite a 1-2 start to the 2025 college football season ― could be a strong appeal to many programs.
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He led the Black Knights to a 12-2 record, the best season in program history, in 2024. Army also went undefeated at 8-0 In the American Athletic Conference, the program’s first season in a conference since playing in Conference USA in 2004.
Army (1-2) takes on East Carolina (2-2) at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 25, from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina, when all eyes could be on Monken.
Here’s what you need to know about Monken, including his coaching record:
Who is Jeff Monken?
Monken is the head coach for Army football. He has been in his position since 2014, leading the program to an 83-59 record in that span. The Black Knights had the best season in program history under Monken’s direction at 12-2 in 2025, which included an 8-0 record in the American Athletic Conference.
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Monken spent considerable years working under Paul Johnson at Navy and Georgia Tech, and has followed his lead in running the triple option offense at Army and his stint as a head coach at Georgia Southern.
He helped lead Navy to five straight Commander-in-Chief’s trophies across the 2002 and 2007 seasons.
He is the cousin of Todd Monken, the offensive coordinator for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
Jeff Monken age
Monken was born on April 15, 1967, in Peoria, Illinois. He is currently 58 years old.
Jeff Monken coaching record
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Jeff Monken career coaching record: 121-75
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Jeff Monken record at Army: 83-59
Monken has been a head coach at two stops during his collegiate career. Following a stint as a special teams coordinator and running backs coach at Georgia Tech under Paul Johnson, Monken earned his first head coaching role at Georgia Southern.
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With his hiring, the Eagles returned to running the triple-option offense for the first time since 2006, when Brian VanGorder scrapped it. He posted a 38-16 record in four seasons leading Georgia Southern, including reaching the FCS semifinals in three of the seasons.
Monken was hired as the Army head coach on Dec. 30, 2013. In 2018, he became the first coach to lead the Black Knights to three straight bowl games.
Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of how Monken has performed as a head coach:
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2010 (Georgia Southern): 10-5, 5-3 Southern Conference
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2011 (Georgia Southern): 11-3, 7-1 Southern Conference
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2012 (Georgia Southern): 10-4, 6-2 Southern Conference
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2013 (Georgia Southern): 7-4, 4-4 Southern Conference
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2016 (Army): 8-5 | Heart of Dallas Bowl win
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2017 (Army): 10-3 | Armed Forces Bowl win
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2018 (Army): 11-2 | Armed Forces Bowl win
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2020 (Army): 9-3 | Liberty Bowl loss
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2021 (Army): 9-4 | Armed Forces Bowl win
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2024 (Army): 12-2, 8-0 American Athletic Conference | Independence Bowl win
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2025 (Army): 1-2, 0-1 American Athletic Conference
Jeff Monken coaching career
Here’s a look at Monken’s coaching career:
Head coach unless otherwise specified. Assistant role listed in parentheses
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1989-90: Hawaii (Graduate assistant)
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1991: Arizona State (Graduate assistant)
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1992-94: Buffalo (Wide receivers, tight ends coach, recruiting coordinator)
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1995: Morton High School (Morton, Illinois)
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1996: Concordia University Chicago (Offensive line coach)
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1997-2001: Georgia Southern (Running backs coach)
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2002-05: Navy (Running backs coach)
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2006-07: Navy (Special teams coordinator, running backs coach)
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2008-09: Georgia Tech (Special teams coordinator, running backs coach)
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2010-13: Georgia Southern
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Jeff Monken? What to know of Army football coach
