So Departure:Army Favourite Linebacker leaves due to..
Jimmy Ciarlo can hang onto his New Jersey vibe a bit longer.
The Army co-captain has signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. The outside linebacker hails from Ringwood, N.J.
Ciarlo had an impressive outing at Army’s pro day in March, repping 34 on the 225-pound bench press – that would have tied for second-most out of all participants at the NFL scouting combine, and that was by an offensive lineman.
Ciarlo made 24 starts for Army the last two seasons. As a senior, Ciarlo posted 29 solo tackles, 29 assisted tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble.
Reports also had linebacker Leo Lowin signing with the Carolina Panthers – Lowin re-posted it on his X/Twitter account. Lowin was Army’s team MVP for 2023, He posted 44 solo tackles, 40 assists, three sacks, forced four fumbles and recovered two fumbles. He was credited with 12 tackles in wins over Air Force and Holy Cross and nine against Navy. For his career, Lowin – from Austin, Texas – had 225 tackles and seven sacks.
Army currently has five active players in the NFL, all as undrafted free agents. Outside linebacker Andre Carter II was the most recent, signing with the Minnesota Vikings following the 2023 NFL Draft. Linebacker Jon Rhattigan is with the Seattle Seahawks; linebacker Cole Christiansen is with the Kansas Cit Chiefs; defensive back Elijah Riley is with the Pittsburgh Penguins; and, lineman Brett Toth is with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Captains named
Rising seniors Bryson Daily, Max DiDomenico, Kyle Lewis and Cody Winokur have been selected as team captains for the 2024 season.Daily is the incumbent starting quarterback. DiDomenico has started 11 games at safety. Lewis played 12 games on the defensive line last season. Winokur, a defensive lineman, played for Army in 2019 and 2020, served two years on active U.S. Army duty, and returned prior to the 2023 campaign.
Reed returns to team
A depleted running back corps has been boosted with the return of Hayden Reed. In February, Reed left the team prior to the spring practice drills.
Reed made a splash as a freshman in fall 2022, averaging 5 yards per carry in limited duty. As a sophomore, Reed had 50 carries for 205 yards (4.1 per), rushing for two touchdowns and adding four receptions.
His return provides much-needed depth in the backfield, following the graduation of Jakobi Buchanan and Tyson Riley, a fullback-turned-tight end.
What conference is Army football in? Black Knights set for debut in new league
Army has been fielding a football team since 1890 and it has done so as an independent for all but seven of those seasons. So Saturday, when the Black Knights play at Florida Atlantic in their first American Athletic Conference game, represents a milestone.
Army joined the American for football beginning with the 2024 season in a conference realignment ripple effect, replacing SMU – who departed for the ACC – to keep the AAC’s football membership at 14 schools. It’s only the second time in Army football history that the program has been part of a conference.
The Black Knights played in Conference USA from 1998 to 2004 and had a 9-41 record in league play during that time. They never finished better than fifth in the Conference USA standings over seven seasons, and sank to last place in four of their final five years.
Why Army joined the American Athletic Conference
Army announced it would be accepting an invitation to the American Athletic Conference on Oct. 25, 2023. Former AAC commissioner Mike Aresco hailed the Black Knights as “a perfect fit.”
“New NCAA rules, the evolution the evolution and growth of the College Football Playoff, the transfer portal, and name, image and likeness have all impacted our competitive landscape,” Army athletic director Mike Buddie said at the time, “so having a clear path to a conference championship, while continuing to fight for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, will help us attract, retain, and showcase our exceptional coaches and cadets.”
Army football coach Jeff Monken told CBS Sports at AAC football media day in July that scheduling issues and College Football Playoff expansion were primary catalysts to leave independence behind.
“To be able to say we have a path to the playoff is important because Navy’s in a conference, Air Force is in a conference,” Monken said. “They can say, we’ve got a path to the playoff. They’ve not made the playoff either, but win the conference and the opportunity is there. It was important for us to be in that conversation.”
How does this affect the Army-Navy game?
Not much, unless Army and Navy meet in the AAC football championship game.
Though Army is joining the AAC and Navy was already an AAC member, league and school officials agreed the annual Army-Navy game will remain a standalone non conference game played the week between conference championship games and the first round of the new 12-team College Football Playoff. This year’s game in Landover, Maryland will take place on Dec. 14.
The only way Army and Navy could meet in a league game would be if both were to make the AAC football championship game. In that scenario, Army and Navy would play one another in back-to-back weeks.
Are all of Army’s sports teams competing in the AAC?
No.
Army is joining the AAC as a football-only affiliate member, just like Navy has been since 2015. Most of Army’s other sports teams compete in the Patriot League, with exceptions including ice hockey (Atlantic Hockey America), wrestling (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association), gymnastics (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) and rifle (Great America Rifle Conference).
Who are current members of the American Athletic Conference?
The AAC was formed in 2014 after the demise of the original Big East. It has featured 22 different members. In reaction to the departure of Houston, UCF and Cincinnati for the Big 12 in 2023, the American added six former Conference USA schools to the fold. The departure of SMU for the ACC this year led to Army’s arrival as a football-only member and gives the American 14 schools competing in football and 13 schools in other sports in 2024-25. Here are the current members:
- Charlotte
- East Carolina
- Florida Atlantic
- Memphis
- North Texas
- Rice
- South Florida
- Temple
- Tulane
- Tulsa
- UAB
- UTSA
- Army (football-only)
- Navy (football-only)
- Wichita State (non-football member)
