Army West Point Athletics
Hestness and Smith Hired to Football Coaching Staff
February 25, 2025 | Football
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point Football Head Coach Jeff Monken has announced the additions of Seth Hestness, tight ends coach and Allen Smith, defensive line coach, to the Army coaching staff.
It was previously announced that Chandler Burks would coach the tight ends in 2025, but he will now coach running backs since Blake Powers' departure.
Smith replaces Nate Fuqua who was originally hired in January to coach the defensive line but has since taken a new job.
Hestness joins the Army coaching staff after spending last season as the tight ends and fullbacks coach at Tennessee State.
"I would like to thank Coach Monken and Coach Worley for this incredible opportunity. It is an unbelievable honor and privilege to be joining such an incredible coaching staff," said Hestness. "I am excited to uphold the standard that has been set at West Point. GO ARMY! BEAT Navy!"
Before 2024, he spent two years (2022-23) at North Dakota State University as the offensive quality control coach and the assistant offensive line coach, where the Bison compiled a 23-7 combined record and an appearance in the 2022 D-I FCS National Championship game.
Hestness coached three seasons (2019-2021) at Minnesota as a graduate assistant, working primarily with the offensive line. While with the Gophers, he helped develop two eventual NFL Draft picks, Daniel Faalele and John Michael Schmitz. Faalele, was a first-team all-Big Ten selection in 2021 and then selected in the fourth-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2022. Schmitz was named second-team All-Big Ten in 2021 and was then selected in the second round by the New York Giants in 2023.
He spent the 2018 season at Liberty, where he was a graduate assistant for tight ends, fullbacks, and special teams.
Smith joins the Banks of the Hudson after a three-year stint (2022-24) at Georgia State, where he served as the defensive line coach.
Prior to his stint at Georgia State, Smith spent one season with the Houston Texans (2021) as an assistant defensive line coach.
"I've always admired the work Coach Monken, and his staff have done here at West Point. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to serve and work alongside the staff and players here," said Smith. "I am proud to be a part of the Army Football Brotherhood. GO ARMY! BEAT Navy!"
Prior to his year coaching with the Texans, he spent three years (2018-2020) as the defensive line coach at Wofford, helping the Terriers to back-to-back berths in the NCAA FCS playoffs in 2018 and 2019.
In both playoff seasons, Smith helped coach the top defense in the Southern Conference. In 2018, the Terriers led the conference in rushing defense, total defense and scoring defense, ranking No. 12 or higher in FCS in all three categories.
In 2020, Wofford again led the league in total defense as well as sacks, while ranking second in rushing and scoring defense.
Smith developed and coached All-American and All-Southern Conference nose tackle Miles Brown, who signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals and appeared in nine games in 2019 and then spent time on the Tennessee Titans practice squad in 2020.
Smith served one season as the defensive line coach at VMI (2017) and one season at Duke as a defensive operations assistant (2016). In 2015, as a defensive graduate assistant at Appalachian State, he worked with Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year Ronald Blair, who was a fifth-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2016.
He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Calhoun County High School in 2014.
As a player, Smith was a standout defensive lineman at Wofford who helped the Terriers to four straight NCAA FCS playoff berths, including SoCon titles in 2010 and 2012. He served as team captain as a senior playing under Army defensive coordinator, Nate Woody, who served as the defensive coordinator at Wofford from 2000-2012.
Smith earned his bachelor's degree in business economics from Wofford in 2012. He and his wife Joy have two daughters, Harleigh, born in 2020 and Emori, born in 2022.
"We are proud to welcome Seth Hestness and Allen Smith to the Army Football Brotherhood. Seth has a wide variety of experiences coaching tight ends, offensive line, and fullback position groups that will fit nicely with our offensive philosophy," said Head Coach Jeff Monken. "Allen will add a lot of knowledge and perspective to our defense from his time at Georgia State, the NFL, and his playing career under Nate Woody, which will allow him to make an immediate impact on our young men."
It was previously announced that Chandler Burks would coach the tight ends in 2025, but he will now coach running backs since Blake Powers' departure.
Smith replaces Nate Fuqua who was originally hired in January to coach the defensive line but has since taken a new job.
Hestness joins the Army coaching staff after spending last season as the tight ends and fullbacks coach at Tennessee State.
"I would like to thank Coach Monken and Coach Worley for this incredible opportunity. It is an unbelievable honor and privilege to be joining such an incredible coaching staff," said Hestness. "I am excited to uphold the standard that has been set at West Point. GO ARMY! BEAT Navy!"
Before 2024, he spent two years (2022-23) at North Dakota State University as the offensive quality control coach and the assistant offensive line coach, where the Bison compiled a 23-7 combined record and an appearance in the 2022 D-I FCS National Championship game.
Hestness coached three seasons (2019-2021) at Minnesota as a graduate assistant, working primarily with the offensive line. While with the Gophers, he helped develop two eventual NFL Draft picks, Daniel Faalele and John Michael Schmitz. Faalele, was a first-team all-Big Ten selection in 2021 and then selected in the fourth-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2022. Schmitz was named second-team All-Big Ten in 2021 and was then selected in the second round by the New York Giants in 2023.
He spent the 2018 season at Liberty, where he was a graduate assistant for tight ends, fullbacks, and special teams.
Smith joins the Banks of the Hudson after a three-year stint (2022-24) at Georgia State, where he served as the defensive line coach.
Prior to his stint at Georgia State, Smith spent one season with the Houston Texans (2021) as an assistant defensive line coach.
"I've always admired the work Coach Monken, and his staff have done here at West Point. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to serve and work alongside the staff and players here," said Smith. "I am proud to be a part of the Army Football Brotherhood. GO ARMY! BEAT Navy!"
Prior to his year coaching with the Texans, he spent three years (2018-2020) as the defensive line coach at Wofford, helping the Terriers to back-to-back berths in the NCAA FCS playoffs in 2018 and 2019.
In both playoff seasons, Smith helped coach the top defense in the Southern Conference. In 2018, the Terriers led the conference in rushing defense, total defense and scoring defense, ranking No. 12 or higher in FCS in all three categories.
In 2020, Wofford again led the league in total defense as well as sacks, while ranking second in rushing and scoring defense.
Smith developed and coached All-American and All-Southern Conference nose tackle Miles Brown, who signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals and appeared in nine games in 2019 and then spent time on the Tennessee Titans practice squad in 2020.
Smith served one season as the defensive line coach at VMI (2017) and one season at Duke as a defensive operations assistant (2016). In 2015, as a defensive graduate assistant at Appalachian State, he worked with Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year Ronald Blair, who was a fifth-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2016.
He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Calhoun County High School in 2014.
As a player, Smith was a standout defensive lineman at Wofford who helped the Terriers to four straight NCAA FCS playoff berths, including SoCon titles in 2010 and 2012. He served as team captain as a senior playing under Army defensive coordinator, Nate Woody, who served as the defensive coordinator at Wofford from 2000-2012.
Smith earned his bachelor's degree in business economics from Wofford in 2012. He and his wife Joy have two daughters, Harleigh, born in 2020 and Emori, born in 2022.
"We are proud to welcome Seth Hestness and Allen Smith to the Army Football Brotherhood. Seth has a wide variety of experiences coaching tight ends, offensive line, and fullback position groups that will fit nicely with our offensive philosophy," said Head Coach Jeff Monken. "Allen will add a lot of knowledge and perspective to our defense from his time at Georgia State, the NFL, and his playing career under Nate Woody, which will allow him to make an immediate impact on our young men."
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