Army heads into its fourth football contest of the season on Thursday night at East Carolina with basically the same lineup and same issues as a week ago.
As of Tuesday evening, there was no announced decision on who will be the starting quarterback: senior Dewayne Coleman or junior Cale Hellums.
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Coleman won the job during preseason but was injured twice during the Tarleton State opener. Hellums took over and guided Army into overtime, which was an eventual loss. Hellums got his first career start at Kansas State and set an Academy record with 41 carries, leading the Black Knights to a stirring road victory. Two weeks later, Hellums started but was ineffective against North Texas. Coleman brought Army back from a 21-0 deficit but again got hurt late in the contest. Again, Hellums came in, guided the Black Knights into overtime but could not direct a tying score and Army lost again.
Aug 29, 2025; West Point, New York, USA; Army Black Knights quarterback Dewayne Coleman (10) tosses a ball on an option run against the Tarleton State Texans during the first half at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
Head coach Jeff Monken and offensive coordinator said whichever quarterback was most effective during a shortened week of practice would get the nod. Monken said it would not be a game-time decision, so the choice should be made before the team departs New York on Wednesday for its flight to North Carolina.
The running back situation should be a bit more clear. Hayden Reed has been bothered by an ankle injury but has gamely fought through it, following a few trips to the medical tent and extra taping. Jake Rendina was also injured at Kansas State and did not play against North Texas. Monken said Monday he expected Rendina to be able to play against East Carolina. Carson Smith and Briggs Bartosh have filled in and been promising.
Sep 20, 2025; West Point, New York, USA; Army Black Knights running back Hayden Reed (8) takes a handoff from quarterback Cale Hellums (3) during the first half against the North Texas Mean Green at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
Nose tackle Kody Harris-Miller, who was injured in the opener vs. Tarleton State, will miss his third game, with Jacob Tuioti filling in as starter again. Safety Collin Matteson – following his decisive late-game heroics at Kansas State – appeared to suffer a head or neck injury against North Texas, visited the medical tent and did not return to action. Monken said Monday that Matteson was questionable and could not comment further.
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Army will play its second road contest of the season on Thursday, Sept. 25, when the Black Knights play East Carolina. Game time is 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). East Carolina is a 5.5-point favorite, with an over/under at 51.5 points.
The Army depth chart has actually seen few changes over four weeks. The initial Army two-deep chart had 18 seniors, 29 juniors, six sophomores and a lone freshman — plebe Bryson Banks of Lawrenceville, Ga., a product of the U.S. Military Academy Prep School, is slated as backup at inside linebacker to senior co-captain Kalib Fortner. The 2024 opening depth chart against Lehigh had 22 seniors, 17 juniors, 19 sophomores and no freshmen.
Here’s a look at the two-deep depth chart for Army for the East Carolina contest.
Army offense
QB – No. 10 Dewayne Coleman, Sr. – or – No. 3 Cale Hellums, Jr.; No. 1 Zach Mundell, Jr.
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RB – No. 8 Hayden Reed, Sr.; No. 34 Carson Smith, Jr.
RB – No. 27 Samari Howard, Jr.; No. 18 Brady Mott, Jr.
Slot – No. 15 Noah Short, Sr.; No. 26 David Clerk, Jr.
WR – No. 4 Liam Fortner, Jr.; No. 84 Brady Anderson, Soph.
TE – No. 44 Parker Poloskey, Jr.; No 80 Brian Dyer, Jr.
LT – No. 58 Henry Appleton, Jr.; No. 78 Xavier Archawski, Soph.
LG – No. 59 Will Jeffcoat, Sr.; No. 50 Braden Bartosh, Sr.
C – No. 51 Brady Small, Jr.; No. 75 Kyle Kloska, Jr.
RG – No. 71 Paolo Gennarelli, Jr.; No. 72 Lane Parks, Jr.
RT – No. 74 Teddy Williams, Jr.; No. 56 Tyler Lee, Jr.
Army defense
DL – No. 92 Jack Latore, Sr.; No. 99 Jack Bousum, Soph.
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NT – No. 62 Jacob Tuioti, Sr.; No. 95 Matt Gemma, Soph.
DL – No. 98 Deshontez Gray, Sr.; No. 96 Dillon Stowers, Jr.
OLB – No. 40 Eric Ford, Sr.; No. 47 Noah Nixon, Jr.
OLB – No. 14 Gavin Shields, Sr.; No. 10 Cole Searight, Soph.
ILB – No. 51 Andon Thomas, Sr.; No. 21 Baylor Newsom, Jr.
ILB – No. 53 Kalib Fortner, Sr.; No. 48 Bryson Banks, Fr.
CB – No. 7 Jaydan Mayes, Jr.; No. 6 Jabril Williams, Sr.
SS – No. 20 Casey Larkin, Sr.; No. 3 Stephen Nnadozie, Jr.
FS – No. 30 Collin Matteson, Sr.; No. 13 Caleb Williams, Soph.
CB – No. 5 Justin Weaver, Sr.; No. 17 Jaxon Hammond, Jr.
Army special teams
P – No. 46 James Wagenseller, Jr.
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K – No. 95 Dawson Jones, Soph.
Kickoff – No. 1 Anderson Britton, Sr.
Holder – No. 38 Cooper Allan, Sr.
Long snapper – No. 55 Owen Walter, Jr.
Kick return – No. 23 Lloyd Benson III, Jr.; No. 7 Jaydan Mayes, Jr.
Punt return – No. 23 Lloyd Benson III, Jr.; No. 7 Jaydan Mayes, Jr.
East Carolina does not provide any depth-chart information. Here were the starters for the Pirates against Brigham Young:
East Carolina offense
QB – No. 4 Katin Houser, Sr.
RB – No. 5 Parker Jenkins, Jr.
TE – No. 8 Javontay Conner, Jr.
WR – No. 9 Anthony Smith, grad
WR – No. 1 Yannick Smith, Soph.
WR – No. 10 Brock Spalding, Sr.
LT – No. 62 Jimarion McCrimon, Jr.
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LG – No. 75 Kyle Long, Sr.
C – No. 55 Darius Bell, Sr.
RG – No. 69 Emmanuel Poku, Sr.
RT – No. 77 Cooper Trnavsky, Sr.
East Carolina defense
DE – No. 9 J.D. Lampley, Sr.
DT – No. 54 Zion Wilson, Sr.
OLB – No. 5 Ryheem Craig, Sr.
LB – No. 10 Dameon Wilson, Sr.
LB – No. 7 Samuel Dankah, Sr.
Nickel – No. 22 Jonathan Jean, grad
S – No. 2 Ja’Marley Riddle, Soph.
S – No. 3 Teagan Wilk, grad
CB – No. 17 Rasheed Reason, grad
CB – No. 24 TyMir Brown, Sr.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army football depth chart vs. East Carolina
