Army football: Brent Davis out, Drew Thatcher in as offensive coordinator
Army is turning to a new offensive coordinator in the wake of a .500 football season.
Brent Davis is out after nine seasons and has been replaced by Drew Thatcher, who spent the past four seasons as O.C. at Division II Nebraska-Kearney.
Davis followed head coach Jeff Monken from their days at Georgia Southern. Davis was the O.C. for four seasons at Georgia Southern and four years previously at Virginia Military Institute.
Utilizing a triple-option attack, Army consistently been among the nation’s rushing leaders — the Black Knights ranked in the top three from 2016-19 and again in 2021, leading the country in 2017. Army posted winning records five times in six years (2016-21, except 2019) and played in five bowl games, posting four wins.
Army’s offense struggled in second-half season losses to Air Force and Troy and the victory over Navy. Monken said throughout the season that the Black Knights struggled with tackling and blocks — sustaining them on offense and beating them on defense. While the offense sputtered down the stretch, Army’s defense found its groove.
Nebraska-Kearney saw transformational improvement under Thatcher. The Lopers posted marks of 7-5 in 2019, 2-0 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, 10-3 in 2021 and 8-3 in 2022. The Lopers qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2021, winning one game and dropping its second.
In 2019, UNK set school records for rushing yards (4,115) and rushing touchdowns (45) for a single season, earning a D2 bowl berth. In 2021, UNK averaged 34 points and 450 yards per game. This past season, the Lopers averaged 33 points and 402 yards per game, scoring 80 percent of the time from the Red Zone and converting 11 of 14 fourth-down attempts.
Thatcher also served as quarterbacks coach, helping T.J. Davis to repeat as the MIAA offensive player of the year. Davis, who was the league’s rookie of the year in 2019, had 2,506 combined yards over 11 games in 2022.
Thatcher was a wide receiver for New Mexico State from 2004-08, serving as a graduate assistant coach for the Aggies from 2009-11. He went on to coach at the New Mexico Military Institute from 2012-18, serving as the offensive coordinator over the last of those six seasons.
In title changes on the Army staff, Matt Drinkall becomes co-offensive coordinator focusing on tight ends; Mike Viti becomes assistant head coach for offense focusing on the offensive line; and, Cody Worley is the run game coordinator focusing on quarterbacks.
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army West Point replaces OC Brent Davis with Drew Thatcher
