Army Black Knights cornerback Jaydan Mayes #7 and Florida Atlantic University Owls safety CJ Heard #1 fight for possession during NCAA college football action as the Florida Atlantic University Owls host Army's Black Knights on September 7, 2024, in Boca Raton, Fla. Army led 14-7 at halftime. THOMAS CORDY/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK

Army Football Returns Record-Setting Defenders for League Title Defense

Originally posted on Armed Forces Sports on SI
By Maddy Dickens | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Army West Point Black Knights football program had one of their best performances on the defensive side of the ball — and players that fueled that performance are back.

Per Army's feed on X (formerly Twitter) the Black Knights had 18 interceptions last season, their most as a team since the 1989 season.

That incredible season was fueled by its secondary and was led by two returning defensive backs — Jaydan Mayes and Casey Larkin.

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Mayes, the 5-foot-10 cornerback, finished the year with four interceptions, which was tied for the team best. He also tallied up an additional 29 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss.

The 6-foot Larkin, a safety, finished fourth overall with 51 tackles on top of his four interceptions after starting in all 14 games. Of those tackles, 6.5 ended up leading to a loss in yardage.

There were four players on the Knights roster that tallied up two interceptions last season and they're also expected back.

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Linebacker Andon Thomas led hte team with 108 tackles, 48 of which were solo, along with his two interceptions. He also had one quarterback hit and a forced fumble.

Justin Weaver and Donavan Platt round out the list of returning players that had more than one interception last season.

The Black Knights will miss Max DiDomencio, who had two interceptions along with the third-most tackles on the team wiht 61.

The Black Knights finished the year with a perfect 8-0 conference record and 12-2 overall as they won their first conference title in program history. Their defense held opponents to an average 15.5 points per game.

College football season is quickly approaching. Army opens up its season on Aug. 29 against Tarleton State. They will be immediately tested the following week with a tough Big 12 matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats.

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This article first appeared on Armed Forces Sports on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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