Army Head Coach Jeff Monken and the 23rd-ranked Black Knights have dipped into the Sunshine State to grab a solid commitment for their 2025 recruiting class.
The newest addition headed to West Point is Strong Safety/Free Safety Shemar McNair from Nease High School.
The 6-foot-0, 190-pounder offers tremendous upside and clearly a player who will only get better as he matures in the Black Knights' 3-4 defensive system.
The Bond
His recruiting comes at the hands of seasoned CB Coach, Daryl Dixon, who according to McNair, has been extremely instrumental in him making his pledge to Army West Point.
“Coach (Dixon) always told me with my skill type I was bound to get more offers and I never thought a coach would say that so the fact he can be honest with me or even his players shows me a lot,” explained McNair, who also felt the connection and openness with players on the roster, although the defensive back has yet to step foot on the grounds of the academy.
“The love the coaches show, they always send cool graphics, call me, make sure I’m okay, watch the games online so like the love honestly. I also trust Coach Dixon as well. When I first met him we chatted for maybe an hour and I enjoyed every second.
“I’ve talked to Noah Short … he’s a cool good guy and athlete and I got his opinion on it and it was great. I messaged him on TikTok {laughing}, asking him how’s life there and stuff and one thing he mentioned was the brotherhood and everyone being there for one another and it reminds me of the team I'm on now and I’d love to be a part of that,” added McNair.
Commitment Chat With Dixon
"He told me that he and the coaches were very excited to have me on the board and have me officially become a Black Knight," said the defensive back, who himself was very excited. "He told me to go out tonight and get the DUB {laughing}."
The Defensive Fit
McNair, who was offered by Dixon back on May 20th, offered his insight to playing within Army’s aggressive style of defense.
“I feel like my style of play is to attack the ball and do my job and communicate with the team and secondary on what we’re running the stunts and everything … so just being a leader and a ball hawk and never give up,” stated McNair, who on this half of his senior season has 2 INTs and 31 tackles along with 7 PBU’s
His current GPA is 3.25 and it has yet to be determined if he will be entering the academy as a direct admit or via the USMAPS.
Either way, it appears that McNair is anxious to get going in the Black & Gold of Army.
“I just want to learn, become a better man and football player,” offered the defender, who also participates in track and weightlifting.
“I used to play basketball {laughing}, but I am trying to get more muscle and weight.”
GBK Analysis:
Perhaps the first live encounter with the Army coaching staff is when Dixon saw McNair at camp this summer at Mercer, which kicked off the recruiting. McNair is a long kid with range. He could grow into a LB as well.
“Also I play CB in some games against big receivers,” shared McNair relative to his versatility. “Teams don’t really throw my way, my coach always says that I eliminate one side of the field which helps us win games.”
Speaking of winning games, Nease High School is 5-0 on the season and No. 1 in Jacksonville as well as No. 2 in 6A FL
**To chat with other Army fans about this article and more, please visit The 12th Knight message board**
• WATCH the latest videos from GoBlackKnights.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel
