Army Black Knights Coach Jeff Monken Sounds off on Kanye Udoh’s Transfer

The Army West Point Black Knights head coach had plenty to say about the transfer of his star running back, Kanye Udoh.

Dec 14, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Army Black Knights head coach Jeff Monken stands for the West Point alma mater after a 31-13 loss against the Navy Midshipmen in the the 125th Army-Navy game at Northwest Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The transfer portal is not something the service academies expect to have to worry about, but for the Army West Point Black Knights it came up right after their loss to Navy.

Running back Kanye Udoh, a sophomore, opted to submit his name to the transfer portal right after the loss to the Midshipmen. His representation announced his transfer to Arizona State on Saturday.

From a football standpoint it’s a step up. The Sun Devils are Big 12 champions and need a running back to replace their star, Cam Skattebo.

But Army head coach Jeff Monken told reporters last week, in the lead-up to the Black Knights’ appearance in the Independence Bowl, that he thinks outside influences got to Udoh.

“I think there were some things going on, feelers being put out through other channels,’’ Monken said in comments reported by the Times Herald-Record. “It’s not permissible for coaches to contact other players at other colleges directly, but through other channels. I think that just kind of got him thinking about the opportunities (at) other places.”

Udoh was the Black Knights’ second-leading rusher after he gained 1,117 yards and scored 10 touchdowns for Army. He averaged 85.9 yards per game and was selected to the all-American Athletic Conference second team and was recently named to the ECAC first-team. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

He also didn’t violate any rules by transferring. Service academy athletes can transfer to another school without obligation but must do so before the end of their sophomore year.

But Monken was certainly conflicted in his comments. On one hand, he called the transfer portal “off the rails” and said it wasn’t good for college sports, noting that it would be hard for a student-athlete to get a degree if they went to school at four different places.

He also said that “I do think that they should be able to go where they want and play where they want…” it’s a conflict that many college coaches have echoed in the era of unfettered transfers and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money.

More than anything, he said, he’s concerned about the lessons it imparts.

“I think it’s an important lesson for young people to learn that when they make a pledge of commitment (that) they keep it and fulfill the obligation of (their) contract,’’ Monken said. “I don’t know that that anyone in any profession … should be able to accept money and say I’m going to pledge a commitment to this organization and then be able to walk with that money and not fulfill their obligation.”