Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Conference USA
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #69
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 1.6 (#69)
- SP+ Offense
- 28.8
- SP+ Defense
- 28.6
- SRS
- -4.2
- FPI
- -7.4
- Elo
- 1408
- Talent
- 561
- Recruiting
- 185 (#81)
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
7.4p10 6.0 — p90 9.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 44.4% | |
| Make CFP | 0.9% | |
| Quarterfinal | 0.1% | |
| Semifinal | 0.0% | |
| Natl. final | 0.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.0% |
Schedule
proj record 7.5–4.5
Schedule
98th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
105th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
100th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Nevada | -13.4 | 31-24 | +7.4 | 67% | — |
| 2 | @Georgia | +24.1 | 6-47 | -41.7 | 1% | — |
| 3 | @Indiana | +32.4 | 14-35 | -21.2 | 10% | — |
| 4 | vsMercyhurst | FCS | 44-4* | +40.9 | 99% | — |
| 5 | @New Mexico State | -15.5 | 32-24 | +7.5 | 67% | — |
| 6 | vsMissouri State | -10.7 | 35-20 | +14.2 | 80% | — |
| 7 | @Sam Houston | -27.8 | 38-18 | +20.3 | 89% | — |
| 9 | vsDelaware | -10.9 | 32-20 | +11.5 | 76% | — |
| 10 | @Middle Tennessee | -16 | 31-26 | +5.5 | 63% | — |
| 11 | vsJacksonville State | -6.7 | 32-22 | +9.8 | 72% | — |
| 12 | @Liberty | -9 | 29-28 | +1.4 | 53% | — |
| 13 | vsKennesaw State | -5.4 | 29-20 | +9.4 | 72% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 4
2026 · 64
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Maverick McIvor | SR | 6'2" | 214 | — |
| QB | 2nd | Rodney Tisdale Jr. | FR | 6'2" | 190 | ★★★ |
| QB | 3rd | Brock Glenn← Florida State | SO | 6'2" | 217 | ★★★ |
| QB | 4th | Tucker Parks | FR | 6'2" | 202 | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Marvis Parrish | FR | 5'11" | 196 | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | George Hart III | SR | 5'11" | 215 | — |
| RB | 3rd | Kalib Hicks← Oklahoma State | SO | 5'11" | 215 | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Jaden McGill | SR | 6'0" | 220 | — |
| RB | 5th | Jalen Hampton | SR | 5'9" | 206 | — |
| RB | — | Sincere Baines← Maine | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 11
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Matthew Henry | SR | 6'0" | 183 | — |
| WR | 2nd | K.D. Hutchinson | JR | 5'8" | 180 | — |
| WR | 3rd | Moussa Barry | JR | 6'2" | 194 | — |
| WR | 4th | Cameron Flowers | FR | 5'11" | 183 | ★★★ |
| WR | 5th | Jairus Mack | SR | 5'11" | 182 | — |
| WR | 6th | Kelby Williams | SR | 6'3" | 195 | — |
| WR | 7th | Quincy Burroughs | JR | 6'1" | 205 | — |
| WR | 8th | Marvin Sims | JR | 5'11" | 180 | — |
| WR | 9th | Jaleel Walker | SR | 6'2" | 185 | — |
| WR | — | Jeremiah Carroll← Carson Newman | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Jyzaiah Rockwell← Prairie View A&M | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Jackson West | SR | 6'4" | 248 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Justin Wolf | SR | 6'4" | 240 | — |
| TE | 3rd | Lofton Howard | SO | 6'4" | 230 | — |
| TE | 4th | CC Ezirim← Toledo | JR | 6'7" | 242 | ★★★ |
Offensive Line · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Quincy Jenkins | SR | 6'4" | 310 | — |
| OT | — | Tai Ray← Pittsburgh | SO | 6'6" | 325 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 11
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Mackavelli Malotumau | SR | 6'1" | 295 | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Rylen Su'a-Filo | SR | 6'1" | 320 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Jaden Hardy | SR | 6'3" | 324 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Jayden Gray | SR | 6'2" | 276 | ★★★ |
| DL | 5th | Venson Sneed | JR | 6'4" | 262 | ★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Kiawan Murphy← Akron | JR | 6'2" | 315 | ★★★ |
| DL | 7th | Jakeem Fletcher | SR | 6'1" | 312 | — |
| DL | 8th | Elin Jones | SR | 6'4" | 252 | — |
| DL | 9th | Eric Etienne | SO | 6'1" | 310 | — |
| DL | 10th | Sekou Peters | FR | 6'2" | 296 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | — | Nathan Gonzales← Indiana State | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Jaylen Wester | SR | 6'0" | 228 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Anthony Brackenridge | SR | 6'2" | 225 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Dominic Oliver | SR | 6'3" | 250 | ★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Jordan Donald | FR | 6'2" | 222 | ★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Geajorm Akpaloo← Coastal Carolina | SO | 6'3" | 220 | — |
| LB | 6th | Zach Smith | FR | 6'0" | 220 | ★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Garrison Madden← USC | JR | 6'2" | 235 | ★★★ |
| LB | 8th | Josaiah Knight | FR | 6'2" | 230 | — |
| LB | 9th | Joshua Mensah | JR | 6'1" | 212 | — |
Defensive Backs · 14
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB | 1st | Jaylen Lewis | JR | 5'11" | 190 | — |
| DB | 2nd | Dave Herard | SR | 6'0" | 202 | — |
| DB | 3rd | Demarko Williams | SR | 5'11" | 188 | — |
| DB | 4th | Al-Ma'hi Ali | SR | 5'11" | 190 | — |
| DB | 5th | Jaavan Mack | SR | 5'10" | 188 | — |
| DB | 6th | Kent Robinson | JR | 5'11" | 186 | — |
| DB | 7th | Jalen Emery | SR | 5'10" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 8th | Avarion Cole | SR | 5'11" | 197 | — |
| DB | 9th | Braxton Myers | SO | 6'1" | 195 | — |
| DB | 10th | Xavion Griffin | FR | 6'0" | 184 | ★★★ |
| DB | 11th | Korbyn Green | JR | 5'11" | 176 | ★★★ |
| DB | 12th | Lataj Wright | SR | 5'10" | 185 | — |
| S | — | Jacob Cosby-Mosley← Wake Forest | FR | 5'11" | 197 | ★★★ |
| S | — | D'Cambren Verrett← Texas A&M-Kingsville | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Special Teams · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | Rex Robich | SR | 6'3" | 225 | — |
| P | 1st | Cole Maynard | SR | 6'1" | 180 | — |
| PK | 1st | John Cannon | SR | 5'9" | 182 | — |
Projected Season
2026 · win prob / game
Exp. Wins
7.5
Exp. Losses
4.5
Toss-ups
1
bars: model win probabilityfav / toss-up / dog
2025 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
28.860
Off PPA
+0.1756
Pass PPA
+0.2555
Rush PPA
+0.0840
Success
43%62
Explosive
1.2031
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
Advanced
2025 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.17 | +0.10 |
| Passing | +0.25 | +0.13 |
| Rushing | +0.08 | +0.09 |
| 1st Down | +0.02 | +0.02 |
| 2nd Down | +0.22 | +0.05 |
| 3rd Down | +0.47 | +0.43 |
Scoring Trend
2025 · pts/game
PPG For
29.8
PPG Against
23.4
Differential
+6.3
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / L2025
- Overall
- 8-4
- Home
- 5-1
- Away
- 3-3
- Conference
- 6-2
- Non-Conference
- 2-2
- One-Score (≤8)
- 3-2
- Avg Margin
- +6.3
Situational Splits
2025 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 5-1 | 35.0 | 18.8 |
| Away | 3-3 | 24.5 | 28.0 |
| Neutral | 1-0 | 27.0 | 16.0 |
| Competition | |||
| Conference | 6-2 | 30.0 | 25.1 |
| Non-conference | 3-2 | 28.8 | 19.2 |
Season History · last 12
0 AP top-10 · 11 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8-4 | 6-2 | #69 | — | 1-0 |
| 2024 | 8-5 | 6-3 | #78 | — | 0-1 |
| 2023 | 7-5 | 5-3 | #74 | — | 1-0 |
| 2022 | 8-5 | 6-2 | #65 | — | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 8-5 | 7-2 | #24 | — | 1-0 |
| 2020 | 5-6 | 4-3 | #83 | — | 0-1 |
| 2019 | 8-4 | 6-2 | #58 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 3-9 | 2-6 | #112 | — | — |
| 2017 | 6-6 | 4-4 | #88 | — | 0-1 |
| 2016 | 10-3 | 8-1 | #19 | — | 1-0 |
| 2015 | 11-2 | 9-0 | #37 | — | 1-0 |
| 2014 | 7-5 | 4-4 | #80 | — | 1-0 |
Recent Form · last 5
3-2 SU · 3-1 ATS · O2/U2
Betting Profile
2025 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 9-4 |
| ATS | 9-375% |
| Over / Under | 6-6 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 6-2 |
| As underdog | 3-1 |
| Home | 5-1 |
| Away | 4-2 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #100 · 0 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★122 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #81 | 185 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| 2025 | #96 | 153 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2024 | #111 | 140 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2023 | #134 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022 | #94 | 130 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2021 | #136 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2020 | #80 | 157 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2019 | #86 | 154 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2018 | #84 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| 2017 | #82 | 138 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 19net -3Out 22
Portal avg stars (in / out)2.9 / 3.0
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Roq Montgomery | IOL | 3★ | ← Alabama |
| ▲ | CC Ezirim | TE | 3★ | ← Toledo |
| ▲ | Rhett Larson | IOL | 3★ | ← Sam Houston |
| ▲ | Jyzaiah Rockwell | WR | 3★ | ← Prairie View A&M |
| ▼ | Laurence Seymore | IOL | 3★ | → Texas |
| ▼ | Dylan Flowers | CB | 3★ | → Duke |
| ▼ | Harper Holloman | EDGE | 3★ | → West Virginia |
| ▼ | Nazir Ward | CB | 3★ | → Syracuse |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
6 items
- Recent Syracuse Football Transfer Gains National Praise Ahead of 2026 SeasonNoah Meyers is turning some heads as the Orange move closer to training camp.
- Michigan State Weekly Position Breakdown: Running Backs Need to Be the Key to the Spartans' SuccessPat Fitzgerald’s smash-mouth philosophy takes center stage as UConn transfer Cam Edwards and explosive sophomore Marvis Parrish spearhead a physical backfield designed to redefine the Spartans' offense.
- After his mother's death, Western Kentucky's Victory Vaka lost his scholarship. NCAA rules may end his careerA Western Kentucky roster decision and NCAA rules left Vaka one semester from graduation, with nowhere to playWKU6d
- Western Kentucky Football Preview 2026: Conference USA Title or BustWestern Kentucky keeps on rolling with great seasons, and even with a few changes, this year won't be any different.WKU11d
- Rodney Tisdale: May have edge in QB battleTisdale is believed to be leading the race to be Western Kentucky's starting quarterback for the 2026 season, Steven Moffett of Topper Talk Podcast (via the G5 Hive Podcast) reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.WKU19d
- Corner Canyon lineman Jackson West commits to UtahUtah secured its third commitment of the week on Wednesday evening as Corner Canyon lineman Jackson West announced his decision to stay in-state.