Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Conference USA
9-5 (6-2 conf)
SP+ #65
Ratings
2022
- SP+
- 1.7 (#65)
- SP+ Offense
- 31.3
- SP+ Defense
- 30.1
- SRS
- -0.1
- FPI
- 5.1
- Elo
- 1693
- Talent
- 496
- Recruiting
- 130 (#94)
Schedule
record 9–5
Schedule
113th
toughest of 131
Offenses faced
87th
toughest of 131
Defenses faced
121st
toughest of 131
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 131 (easiest) · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Margin | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsAustin Peay | FCS | 38-27 | +11 | W |
| 1 | @Hawai'i | -24.7 | 49-17 | +32 | W |
| 3 | @Indiana | -7.1 | 30-33 | -3 | L |
| 4 | vsFlorida International | -25.5 | 73-0 | +73 | W |
| 5 | vsTroy | +8.1 | 27-34 | -7 | L |
| 6 | @UTSA | +7.2 | 28-31 | -3 | L |
| 7 | @Middle Tennessee | -6.9 | 35-17 | +18 | W |
| 8 | vsUAB | -0.5 | 20-17 | +3 | W |
| 9 | vsNorth Texas | -1.5 | 13-40 | -27 | L |
| 10 | @Charlotte | -16.4 | 59-7 | +52 | W |
| 11 | vsRice | -15.2 | 45-10 | +35 | W |
| 12 | @Auburn | +5.1 | 17-41 | -24 | L |
| 13 | @Florida Atlantic | -7.1 | 32-31 | +1 | W |
| 1 ·P | NSouth Alabama | +10.8 | 44-23 | +21 | W |
Quarterbacks · 3
2022 · 64
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Austin Reed | — | — | — | — |
| QB | 2nd | Darius Ocean | — | — | — | ★★ |
| QB | 3rd | Caden Veltkamp | JR | 6'6" | 236 | — |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Kye Robichaux | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 2nd | Davion Ervin-Poindexter | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 3rd | LT Sanders | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Jakairi Moses | — | — | — | ★★ |
| RB | 5th | Markese Stepp | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Malachi Corley | — | — | — | ★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Michael Mathison | — | — | — | ★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Jaylen Hall | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 4th | Daewood Davis | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 5th | Dalvin Smith | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Craig Burt Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 7th | K.D. Hutchinson | JR | 5'8" | 180 | — |
| WR | 8th | Easton Messer | JR | 5'9" | 190 | — |
| WR | 9th | Denzil Alleyne | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 10th | Dakota Thomas | SR | 6'0" | 212 | — |
Tight Ends · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Joshua Simon | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Joey Beljan | — | — | — | — |
Offensive Line · 1
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Gunner Britton | — | — | — | — |
Defensive Line · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | 1st | Juwuan Jones | — | — | — | — |
| DE | 2nd | Dante Walker | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 1st | Terrion Thompson | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 2nd | Marcus Patterson | JR | 6'3" | 260 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Deante McCray | JR | 6'4" | 274 | — |
| DT | 1st | Lorenzo Hernandez | — | — | — | — |
| DT | 2nd | Brodric Martin | — | — | — | — |
| DT | 3rd | Darius Shipp | — | — | — | — |
| DT | 4th | Mike Allen | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DT | 5th | Dareon Goodrum | — | — | — | — |
Linebackers · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | JaQues Evans | SR | 6'2" | 270 | — |
| LB | 2nd | Derrick Smith | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Will Ignont | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Jaden Hunter | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 5th | Aaron Key | SR | 6'2" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Bryson Washington | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 7th | Niko Cooper | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 8th | Anthony Brackenridge | SR | 6'2" | 225 | ★★★ |
| LB | 9th | Darius Thomas | JR | 6'2" | 215 | ★★★ |
| LB | 10th | Matthew Flint | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LB | 11th | Dezmion Roberson | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LB | 12th | Desmyn Baker | — | — | — | — |
Defensive Backs · 18
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB | 1st | Kahlef Hailassie | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 2nd | Kaleb Oliver | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 3rd | Talique Allen | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 4th | Upton Stout | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 5th | Dominique Bradshaw | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 6th | Davion Williams | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Rome Weber | — | — | — | ★★ |
| DB | 8th | C.J. Jones | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 9th | Tre Shaw | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| DB | 10th | Virgil Marshall | JR | 5'11" | 205 | ★★★ |
| DB | 11th | A.J. Brathwaite Jr. | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 12th | T.J. Springer | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 13th | Amaari Smith | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 14th | Kiwon Harris | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 15th | Travis Collier | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 16th | Maximus Pulley | — | — | — | — |
| S | 1st | Kendrick Simpkins | SR | 6'0" | 199 | — |
| S | 2nd | BJ Wagner | SR | 6'2" | 199 | — |
Special Teams · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 1st | Tom Ellard | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| PK | 1st | Brayden Narveson | — | — | — | — |
| PK | 2nd | Cory Munson | — | — | — | ★★★ |
2022 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
31.361
Off PPA
+0.2683
Pass PPA
+0.3783
Rush PPA
+0.1665
Success
45%68
Explosive
1.3691
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
SP+ Trend
points vs avg team
— Overall— Offense— Defense
SP+ = opponent-adjusted points vs an average team. Overall & Offense higher = better; Defense lower = better.
Advanced
2022 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.26 | +0.09 |
| Passing | +0.37 | +0.16 |
| Rushing | +0.16 | +0.06 |
| 1st Down | +0.12 | -0.08 |
| 2nd Down | +0.30 | +0.09 |
| 3rd Down | +0.64 | +0.41 |
Scoring Trend
2022 · pts/game
PPG For
35.8
PPG Against
23.5
Differential
+12.4
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / LResults
2022
- Overall
- 8-5
- Home
- 4-2
- Away
- 4-3
- Conference
- 6-2
- Non-Conference
- 2-3
- One-Score (≤8)
- 2-3
- Avg Margin
- +12.4
Situational Splits
2022 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 4-2 | 36.0 | 21.3 |
| Away | 4-3 | 35.7 | 25.3 |
| Neutral | 1-0 | 44.0 | 23.0 |
| Competition | |||
| Conference | 6-2 | 38.1 | 19.1 |
| Non-conference | 3-3 | 34.2 | 29.2 |
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
4-1 SU · 2-2 ATS · O2/U2
Betting Profile
2022 · 13 w/ line
| Straight up | 9-5 |
| ATS | 8-562% |
| Over / Under | 5-8 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 6-4 |
| As underdog | 2-1 |
| Home | 3-3 |
| Away | 5-2 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #100 · 0 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★102 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2016 | #101 | 124 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
talent #81
Returning prod 17%Departed 83%
Talent composite495.6 #81 / 233
Returning usage (pass / rush / rec)0 / 20 / 25
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2022
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
1 items
- 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.