E-MAIL THIS
	PRINT THIS
	MOST POPULAR

WEST POINT - Army head football coach Rich Ellerson welcomed the newest members of the Army football program on Monday, July 2, 2012, as the Academy’s Class of 2016 reported to West Point for Reception Day.

Of the 49 new Black Knights that began their West Point experience, 18 are directly from the high school ranks while 31 played football at the U.S. Military Academy Prep School (USMAPS) in 2011.

Twenty-one states from all geographic locations are represented in the 2012 recruiting class. California and Texas are the most represented states with eight and seven players, respectively. Illinois, New York and Washington all boast at least four cadet candidates.

The incoming players are split almost equally between offense and defense. Twenty-four players are slated for the offensive side of the ball, 22 are currently assigned to the defense and three are listed as specialists. Twenty-one of the new recruits will play in the trenches with 11 offensive linemen and 10 defensive linemen joining the roster. Defensively, the group includes six defensive backs and six linebackers, while on offense there are five running backs, four quarterbacks and four wide receivers.
The Black Knights begin their 123rd season on September 8th at San Diego State. Army makes it 2012 home debut the following week when it hosts Northern Illinois.

Army returns 14 players that started at least six games in 2011 and 34 players that started at least one game a year ago. The Black Knights welcome back their top seven rushers from last season’s team that led the country in rushing yards per game, and 2012 will mark the first time in program history the Black Knights have returned two players who have rushed for 1,000 yards in a season (Jared Hassin, 2010; Raymond Maples, 2011). The Army defense returns 13 of its top 16 tacklers from 2011, including a group that combined for 15.0 of Army’s 18.0 quarterback sacks.