Shortly following Army West Point’s third straight win over Navy, defensive coordinator Jay Bateman received an offer to return to his home state of North Carolina as their DC for the North Carolina Tar Heels’ new head coach, Mack Brown. While Army fans were disappointed to see Bateman go, they were soon reassured that the defense was not likely to take a nose dive. Safeties coach, John Loose, assumed duties as the interim defensive coordinator and guided the defense to a 70-14 thrashing of offensive powerhouse Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl. James Nachtigal represented the defense on several All-Bowl teams, but, as always, it was a team effort, executing the aggressive defensive style that Army fans have come to appreciate in recent years.

Even my his own admission, Loose knew that he was being evaluated during the bowl game on his ability to be an effective DC for the Black Knights ... a point that Head Coach Jeff Monken himself had shared with GBK just 13-days ago (‘Jeff Monken discusses 2018 season, promotion of John Loose to DC & more’)

“In the end I just felt like John was going to be the best leader for our players to give our defense the best chance to compete and succeed and as I said, he did a great job in the bowl game,” added Monken on why Loose was the ideal candidate.

Shortly following the win over the Cougars, Loose was named the permanent defensive coordinator.

GoBlackKnights.com caught up with Loose to get his comments on his new status and what he saw coming down the road on the defensive side of football at West Point.

Before we launch into the interview, we’d like to provide a brief summary of his past experience to set the stage. Loose was a track and field star at Ithaca College where he was an All-American in 1986 and a five-time NCAA qualifier in the high jump. After a brief stint as a graduate assistant at Albany, he began his college football coaching career at the US Coast Guard Academy where he was the defensive coordinator for three years. He was hired by Bob Sutton and coached linebackers at Army from 1987 to 1999, before leaving to become the defensive coordinator at Lafayette from 2000-2013. He returned to West Point to coach safeties for Jeff Monken until he was promoted to defensive coordinator.

GBK: I believe that you have been on the coaching staff longer than anyone with 8 years experience coaching linebackers on Bob Sutton’s staff at Army from 1992-1999 and then from 2014 to present coaching safeties under Coach Monken. 13 years total at Army West Point. What are your thoughts about Then and Now…. coaching under Sutton vs coaching under Monken.

John Loose: I think Tucker Waugh probably has me beat {chuckling}. You know what ... different personalities and different eras obviously.

Coach Sutton is a tremendous football coach. He was a defensive coordinator and then coached the offense here [at Army West Point]. He’s done both and he’s the defensive coordinator for the Chiefs [NFL]. I love Coach Sutton and I learned so much football from him and different things from him, it was awesome, you know what I mean?

Coach Monken is the best team builder that I have ever seen. As far as getting staff, team and everybody associated with the football program to rally to do their best.

It’s different eras, but football is football ... although it has changed too…there’s RPOs, more quarterback run pass option type stuff, quarterback options. So, it’s definitely changed and the thing that has changed the most is the recruiting… by far.

GBK: You were defensive coordinator 3 years at Coast Guard from 1989-91 and then at Lafayette for 14 years before rejoining the Army staff; so you have a lot of experience coordinating defenses already. What are the most important things that you have learned from working with Jay Bateman these past 5 years, and how much change should we expect to see with you in charge. What, if anything, would you like to change?

John Loose: There are a few things, but I can’t explain at this point. We’ve made some changes right away and we did it in the bowl game (vs. Houston) even before I had the job.

Jay Bateman, I learned so much from him it was unbelievable. Jay is one of the smartest guys that I’ve ever met. He can conceptualize it all, and most people are playing checkers, and he is playing chess.

I think what to look for in game planning ... I would say that is the most that I learned from Jay.

The Lafayette defense and the Army defense and what it became are extremely similar in what it would look like to an offense. The terminology is completely different, but what it really looks like is very similar, and part of that is that I worked with Jay for 5-years. Jay did a great job of taking our input, and when the years kept going they blurred together. So, some of things we [Army] did, we did at Lafayette.

I learned a lot from him, but what to look for in game would be the biggest thing.

GBK: What do you see as your most satisfying experience coaching safeties… converting Xavier Moss from a WR (and track star in his own right) to safety; coaching up Rhyan England as a plebe; or developing James Gibson?

John Loose: You know I think Xavier Moss if I had to pin it down. Moss was a receiver and a track guy and I was really proud of him on how well he played in the end when he came off an injury. That’s a story I won’t ever forget as long as I live. To do what he did in the Navy game ... he had an interception, forced fumble and played one of his most absolute best games. We didn’t think he would be able to play at all; so, I would probably say that.

But I don’t know if I could pin it down to just one and I love coaching all those guys.

We expect to hear more from Coach Loose as the season unfolds. We are confident that he will put his own mark on Army football and continue the good work that Jay Bateman started at West Point.

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