Army West Point Athletics
November 06, 2026 | Football
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point sophomore Godspower Nwawuihe is the featured running back on the nation's top-ranked rushing team. He's rushed for 100 yards in consecutive games and has reached the century mark on the ground three times, including his career-high of 171 yards in being named the offensive MVP of the 2025 Wasabi Fenway Bowl.
With Nwawuihe in the backfield, the Black Knights enter Saturday's game against Air Force averaging a nation's-best 342.5 yards rushing while leading the nation with 31 rushing touchdowns.
Nwawuihe, who is on the Doak Walker Award watch list, has rushed for a career-high 455 yards and four touchdowns this season. He led Army with 135 yards rushing on 12 carries and one touchdown against Tulsa and ran for a team and game-high 100 yards on 19 carries for one touchdown against Memphis.
All from a player who began his Army career as a highly recruited prep quarterback before moving to the running back position. He made his Black Knights debut as a running back in Army's 20-17 win over Air Force in 2025.
"It's been an interesting journey and a fun transition," said Nwawuihe as preparations for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game against Air Force wrapped up. "Just taking in so much information from the staff; it has been amazing."
Nwawuihe is quick to point out some of the differences in playing two of the more spotlighted positions on the field.
"The pace and the changes are the two biggest aspects," said Nwawuihe. "From the quarterback position to the running back position, the tempo is very different at both positions. Knowing your lanes and having to perform different moves as a runner instead of as a quarterback is very different."
For Nwawuihe, football is certainly the family sport. He began playing the sport with his two older brothers who both played in college.
"I started playing football when I was in the fifth grade," said Nwawuihe. "When I first had a football in my hands, I was running around with my brothers, and I wanted to be just like them. I also ran track and played basketball when I was growing up. I think running around with my big brothers led me to be a football player."
Emmanuel, Goodness, and Godspower are the men in the Nwawuihe family. Glory is the sister in a family born to James (a pastor) and Grace (a nurse) who immigrated to Dallas, Texas, from Lagos, Nigeria, just one month before Godspower was born.
Emmanuel (the oldest of the four siblings) was a running back at the University of North Texas. Goodness played defensive line at Sam Houston State, and sister Glory was a standout student at the Richland campus of Dallas College.
"I always wanted to be like Goodness," said Nwawuihe. "He's my role model. They are all great."
With consecutive 100-yard rushing games for the first time in his collegiate career, Nwawuihe considers himself blessed to run behind one of the top offense line groups in the nation. Led by center Brady Small (a candidate for the Rimington and Outland Trophies), tackles Henry Appleton (an Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award nominee) and Teddy Williams (who is on the East West Shrine Bowl list), along with guards Kyle Kloska and Paolo Gennarelli (a Lombardi Award nominee), the Black Knights are as solid a group of offensive linemen as there is in the nation.
The entire offensive line is on the Joe Moore Midseason Watch list as the nation's best offensive line.
"I play alongside some guys who are really good football players," said Nwawuihe. "They play really hard, and I do my best to do my job. It means everything to run behind our offensive line. They are a collective group, a very cohesive unit who love each other and love this team. They would do anything to help us win. They are second to none. In my mind, playing with them is one of the greatest honors I have earned since I've been at Army."
Black Knight head coach Jeff Monken has watched Nwawuihe's maturation during his first full year in the demanding Army system.
"Godspower is a wonderful person and a very important member of our football program," said Monken. "He has become a valuable player in our running backs room because of the man he is and his desire to accept coaching. He is a selfless person, a team-first football player, and a someone who wants to improve every day he is on the grounds at the academy."
Nwawuihe missed Army's games against Louisiana Tech and Tulane but has been energized since his return to the lineup. In his three games to begin the season, he rushed 37 times for 164 yards (4.4 yards per carry). In his three games since returning to the Black Knights' offensive backfield, Nwawuihe has 42 carries for 291 yards (6.9 yards per carry).
"My faith drives me," said Nwawuihe. "When I went down earlier this year, the first thing I did was give thanks. I know that everything I have now is something I used to pray for all the time."
It was Nwawuihe's deep-rooted faith that helped him return to the field for the stretch run in his final four games of the season. A victory over Air Force would give Army its sixth victory of the season and make the Black Knights bowl eligible for the third consecutive season marking the second time in school history the program would make three consecutive post-game appearances.
A win over the Falcons inside Michie Stadium Preserved by USAA would drive the Black Knights closer to earning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 2023.
While Nwawuihe and his teammates have their goals on the football field, he also has the goal of joining his brothers and sister, who have all earned the college degrees.
Nwawuihe chose organizational psychology as his major and is nearly three semesters closer to becoming the fourth member of his family to earn a college degree.
When he steps onto the field against Air Force, Nwawuihe knows he'll have two families watching his every move: his family in the stands and his football family on the field. And that's a lot of power to drive any one chosen person.
With Nwawuihe in the backfield, the Black Knights enter Saturday's game against Air Force averaging a nation's-best 342.5 yards rushing while leading the nation with 31 rushing touchdowns.
Nwawuihe, who is on the Doak Walker Award watch list, has rushed for a career-high 455 yards and four touchdowns this season. He led Army with 135 yards rushing on 12 carries and one touchdown against Tulsa and ran for a team and game-high 100 yards on 19 carries for one touchdown against Memphis.
All from a player who began his Army career as a highly recruited prep quarterback before moving to the running back position. He made his Black Knights debut as a running back in Army's 20-17 win over Air Force in 2025.
"It's been an interesting journey and a fun transition," said Nwawuihe as preparations for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game against Air Force wrapped up. "Just taking in so much information from the staff; it has been amazing."
Nwawuihe is quick to point out some of the differences in playing two of the more spotlighted positions on the field.
"The pace and the changes are the two biggest aspects," said Nwawuihe. "From the quarterback position to the running back position, the tempo is very different at both positions. Knowing your lanes and having to perform different moves as a runner instead of as a quarterback is very different."
For Nwawuihe, football is certainly the family sport. He began playing the sport with his two older brothers who both played in college.
"I started playing football when I was in the fifth grade," said Nwawuihe. "When I first had a football in my hands, I was running around with my brothers, and I wanted to be just like them. I also ran track and played basketball when I was growing up. I think running around with my big brothers led me to be a football player."
Emmanuel, Goodness, and Godspower are the men in the Nwawuihe family. Glory is the sister in a family born to James (a pastor) and Grace (a nurse) who immigrated to Dallas, Texas, from Lagos, Nigeria, just one month before Godspower was born.
Emmanuel (the oldest of the four siblings) was a running back at the University of North Texas. Goodness played defensive line at Sam Houston State, and sister Glory was a standout student at the Richland campus of Dallas College.
"I always wanted to be like Goodness," said Nwawuihe. "He's my role model. They are all great."
With consecutive 100-yard rushing games for the first time in his collegiate career, Nwawuihe considers himself blessed to run behind one of the top offense line groups in the nation. Led by center Brady Small (a candidate for the Rimington and Outland Trophies), tackles Henry Appleton (an Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award nominee) and Teddy Williams (who is on the East West Shrine Bowl list), along with guards Kyle Kloska and Paolo Gennarelli (a Lombardi Award nominee), the Black Knights are as solid a group of offensive linemen as there is in the nation.
The entire offensive line is on the Joe Moore Midseason Watch list as the nation's best offensive line.
"I play alongside some guys who are really good football players," said Nwawuihe. "They play really hard, and I do my best to do my job. It means everything to run behind our offensive line. They are a collective group, a very cohesive unit who love each other and love this team. They would do anything to help us win. They are second to none. In my mind, playing with them is one of the greatest honors I have earned since I've been at Army."
Black Knight head coach Jeff Monken has watched Nwawuihe's maturation during his first full year in the demanding Army system.
"Godspower is a wonderful person and a very important member of our football program," said Monken. "He has become a valuable player in our running backs room because of the man he is and his desire to accept coaching. He is a selfless person, a team-first football player, and a someone who wants to improve every day he is on the grounds at the academy."
Nwawuihe missed Army's games against Louisiana Tech and Tulane but has been energized since his return to the lineup. In his three games to begin the season, he rushed 37 times for 164 yards (4.4 yards per carry). In his three games since returning to the Black Knights' offensive backfield, Nwawuihe has 42 carries for 291 yards (6.9 yards per carry).
"My faith drives me," said Nwawuihe. "When I went down earlier this year, the first thing I did was give thanks. I know that everything I have now is something I used to pray for all the time."
It was Nwawuihe's deep-rooted faith that helped him return to the field for the stretch run in his final four games of the season. A victory over Air Force would give Army its sixth victory of the season and make the Black Knights bowl eligible for the third consecutive season marking the second time in school history the program would make three consecutive post-game appearances.
A win over the Falcons inside Michie Stadium Preserved by USAA would drive the Black Knights closer to earning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 2023.
While Nwawuihe and his teammates have their goals on the football field, he also has the goal of joining his brothers and sister, who have all earned the college degrees.
Nwawuihe chose organizational psychology as his major and is nearly three semesters closer to becoming the fourth member of his family to earn a college degree.
When he steps onto the field against Air Force, Nwawuihe knows he'll have two families watching his every move: his family in the stands and his football family on the field. And that's a lot of power to drive any one chosen person.
Players Mentioned
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