• Senior DT Nolan Cockrill
This will be Cockrill’s second appearance on a Phil Steele All Independent Team, as he was selected to the 2020 All Independent Team at the end of last season.
Cockrill was recruited from Centreville, VA in 2018 as a 230 pound defensive end with no rating from Rivals. He came in as a direct report, missing out on an opportunity to hone his skills and get an early start on the Army system at USMAPS. He did not see any varsity playing time as a plebe, but appeared in 8 games with 6 total tackles and 1.5 TFLs in 2019.
Nolan had his breakout season in 2020, appearing in all 12 games with a whopping 520 snaps. He registered 28 total tackles, including 7.0 TFLs and 2.5 Sacks. He was also credited with 2 Passes Defended, a Forced Fumble and a Fumble Recovery.
• Senior LB Arik Smith
Arik Smith is making his third appearance on an All Independent Team, having been named to the 2020 First Team at the end of last season and the All Independent.Second Team in 2019.
Smith was recruited from Washington, DC in 2017, having chosen Army over Navy. The 6-1 230 pound linebacker came in unrated by Rivals and spent a year at USMAPS before entering West Point in 2018.
Smith got his start on special teams, appearing in 11 games in 2018, recording a total of 4 tackles with 0.5 TFLs.
Smith broke into the starting lineup in his sophomore year, appearing in all 13 games with 83 total tackles that included 4.0 TFLs and 2.5 Sacks, second only to Cole Christiansen, who is now playing in the NFL.
Last year Smith finished in a tie for the team lead in total tackles with Jon Rhattigan, who was also on the All Independent team last season. Smith registered 89 total tackles, including 9.0 TFLs and a team leading 3.5 Sacks and had 1 interception as well.
• Senior Safety Cedrick Cunningham
Cunningham is the third returning member from Phil Steele’s 2020 All Independent First Team.
Cunningham was recruited out of Kershaw, SC with a Rivals rating of 5.2 in 2017. He spent a year at USMAPS before entering West Point in 2018.
Cunningham got an early start at Army West Point appearing in 12 of 13 games in his plebe season of 2018, mostly as a member of special teams but with 28 snaps at safety. He recorded 4 total tackles as a plebe.
He broke into the regular starting lineup in his sophomore year, playing 539 snaps and finishing 5th in total tackles with 45, including 0.5 TFLs. He was also credited with 2 Pass Breakups.
Cunningham finished third in total tackles in 2020 with 70, including 8.0 TFLs and 2.0 Sacks. He also recorded 1 Interception, 3 Pass Breakups and a Forced Fumble
• Senior Punter – Zach Harding
Zach Harding is making his first appearance on Phil Steele’s All Independent First Team, but was selected to the All Independent Second Team in 2020 and 2019
Harding was recruited from O’Falln, MO in 2018 with a 5.2 rating from Rivals. He came in direct and did not see the field in his plebe season.
In 2019 Harding Appeared in nine games and set an Army record averaging 48.2 yards per punt for the season. He pinned opponents inside the 20 yard line seven times and had eight points of 50+ yards. He had a 78 yard punt against Air Force and a 67-yard punt against Hawaii’.
Harding was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list at the start of the 2020 season. He appeared in 11 games with 41 punts averaging 43.3 yards per kick (ranked 37th in FBS) with 12 kicks of 50+ yards and 17 kicks inside the opponent’s 20 yard line.
• Junior CB Jabari Moore
Moore is making his first appearance on a Phil Steele All Independent team.
Moore was recruited from Hoover, AL in 2019 with a Rivals rating of 5.4. He appeared in 13 games with 190 snaps on defense in his plebe season. He registered 13 total tackles and had a fumble return for a 54 yard touchdown against Tulane.
Moore appeared in 10 games with 463 snaps in 2020. He registered 36 total tackles, including 3 TFLs and led the team with 3 INTs.
Notable: It should be noted that seniors Cockrill, Smith and Cunningham are three of the four recently named captains of the 2021 Black Knights’ team. The 4th being junior safety, Marquel Broughton.