Reports: Army extends Jeff Monken through 2027 amid conference realignment talks

Army football is sticking with Jeff Monken. On Monday, multiple reports confirmed a deal between the program and the head coach.

“Army and Jeff Monken have agreed to a new contract through 2027 with an average salary at more than $2 million,” Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger wrote. “Monken, in his 10th season at the school, has averaged more than 8 wins the last 7 years.”

Monken is finding success again in the 2023 campaign. Army is 2-1 this season, most recently defeating UTSA 37-29 on Saturday. The team will look to extend its win streak on Saturday as the Black Knights take on Syracuse at noon ET.

Action Network’s Brett McMurphy and ESPN’s Pete Thamel backed Dellenger’s report, providing additional context.

“Army’s Jeff Monken signs contract extension thru 2027,” McMurphy wrote on Twitter. “Monken, who has been at school since 2014, has led Army to 5 bowl games in his 1st 9 seasons.”

Monk’s ensuing seasons at the helm could look a lot different. Joining the wave of conference realignment, Army has recently been in talks of relocating to a new conference.

“Army is in the midst of serious negotiations to join the American Athletic Conference. While the arrangement is not final and hurdles are still left to be cleared, the school and league are optimistic that the deal will happen in the coming weeks,” Dellenger wrote.

With Monken by their side, the Black Knight should feel confident about the future. In 2022, the 56-year-old head coach led Army to overcome a difficult 1-4 start by winning five out of its last seven games to finish 6-6.

The season-long bounce back peaked in a double-OT victory over arch-rival Navy, the first-ever overtime game in the history of the Army-Navy Game series. The win over Navy marked victories for Army in five of the last seven meetings since 2016.

Navy isn’t the only program Army is out-maneuvering. Since 2017, Monken and Co. have enjoyed a 52-27 (.658) win-loss record, the best among the Service Academy programs. Monken expects nothing less from himself.

“What Army and what the people associated with this institution expect, and who we represent, the men and women that serve, they expect victory,” Monken said, per Sports Illustrated. “The American people expect the Army, when they go to fight, they expect them to win. They don’t care how they do it.”