It was a very memorable day for DeWayne Coleman on Friday.
It started with Coleman and his fellow U.S. Military Academy seniors walking The Plain to receive their Class of 2026 rings. It concluded with him closing out the preseason football schedule with a very solid effort in the annual Army Black-and-Gold scrimmage.
“It was a great day for the Firsties,’’ Coleman said of the senior class. The ring ceremony is “a great West Point tradition, and it was amazing, a true blessing.’’
Adorned in dress white uniforms, the seniors are presented with their rings, and scores of underclassmen surround them and praise the glory and beauty of them with a traditional over-the-top appreciation.
“You know it’s coming,’’ Coleman said of the ceremony, “but when you walk across The Plain and you have the ring and you open the box up … You have the guys that you were there for at Beast (Barracks, the grueling orientation for freshmen) and the guys from Prep School. You’re seeing all those smiles and those guys’ faces … it really brings a wholesome moment to enjoy.’’
So, too, was the satisfaction Coleman likely had following Army’s third-and-final preseason scrimmage on a pleasant, warm night at Michie Stadium. Though penciled in as Army’s heir apparent at quarterback since the close of last season, Coleman proved the faith the coaches put on him with a solid performance guiding the “Black” first-unit squad. Head coach Jeff Monken has never swayed in holding Coleman as his No. 1 signal caller but admits his decision was not finalized until last week.
Coleman engineered two long touchdown drives – essential in Army’s triple-option offense – to open the scrimmage. The first was a 17-play, 74-yard series; the second was 10 plays for 77 yards. Statistically, Coleman posted 10 runs for 55 yards, completed 4 of 5 throws for 33 yards and executed five plays resulting in first downs.
“We had some nice Army drives,’’ said the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Coleman. Stymied on his first two series in last week’s scrimmage, Coleman closed that outing with a scoring drive, so that’s three in a row.
“Last week, he just kind of stepped out from the pack,’’ Monken said of the quarterback chase. “We’ve had a pretty good QB battle at the top with he and Ethan Washington (who injured his leg at the first scrimmage and is still sidelined). Ethan got injured, and it really just opened the door for (Coleman) to kind of take the reins.
“From a confidence standpoint, he’s always approached practice as the starting quarterback – I think that says a lot for him and his faith in himself that he was going to earn the job, and he has. He understands the offense, he works really hard at the scheme part. … He helps everybody on the field to be better, with his confidence and their confidence in him. He’s clearly The Guy.’’
Afterward, Coleman deflected any praise and said any one of the players in the quarterback room could get the job done.
Coleman, from Selma, Texas, has served as Bryson Daily’s backup the past two seasons. In 2023, he saw action in three contests. Last season, he appeared in five games, notably as a starter in Army’s resounding win against Air Force when Daily was sidelined for a couple weeks.
Army opens the 2025 season by hosting Tarleton State at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29.
“We’ll be out there next Friday, ready to go,’’ Coleman said.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: New Army starting quarterback DeWayne Coleman closes out preseason with solid effort
Reporting by Ken McMillan, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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