Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Conference USA
8-5 (5-3 conf)
SP+ #74
Ratings
2023
- SP+
- -2.0 (#74)
- SP+ Offense
- 28.7
- SP+ Defense
- 30.1
- SRS
- -2.8
- FPI
- -5.2
- Elo
- 1449
- Talent
- 491
- Recruiting
- 58 (#134)
Schedule
record 8–5
Schedule
89th
toughest of 133
Offenses faced
103rd
toughest of 133
Defenses faced
79th
toughest of 133
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 133 (easiest) · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Margin | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsSouth Florida | -6.6 | 41-24 | +17 | W |
| 2 | vsHouston Christian | FCS | 52-22 | +30 | W |
| 3 | @Ohio State | +25.2 | 10-63 | -53 | L |
| 4 | @Troy | +9.8 | 24-27 | -3 | L |
| 5 | vsMiddle Tennessee | -9.5 | 31-10 | +21 | W |
| 6 | @Louisiana Tech | -12.9 | 35-28 | +7 | W |
| 8 | @Jacksonville State | -1.6 | 17-20 | -3 | L |
| 9 | vsLiberty | +8 | 29-42 | -13 | L |
| 10 | @UTEP | -16.2 | 21-13 | +8 | W |
| 11 | vsNew Mexico State | -1.8 | 29-38 | -9 | L |
| 12 | vsSam Houston | -13.8 | 28-23 | +5 | W |
| 13 | @Florida International | -21.2 | 41-28 | +13 | W |
| 1 ·P | NOld Dominion | -10.1 | 38-35 | +3 | W |
Quarterbacks · 4
2023 · 63
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Austin Reed | — | — | — | — |
| QB | 2nd | Turner Helton | JR | 6'2" | 175 | — |
| QB | 3rd | Caden Veltkamp | JR | 6'6" | 236 | — |
| QB | — | Bronson Barron | — | — | — | — |
Running Backs · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Elijah Young | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Markese Stepp | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| RB | 3rd | Davion Ervin-Poindexter | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 4th | LT Sanders | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 11
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Malachi Corley | — | — | — | ★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Easton Messer | JR | 5'9" | 190 | — |
| WR | 3rd | Dalvin Smith | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | 4th | Jimmy Holiday | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | 5th | K.D. Hutchinson | JR | 5'8" | 180 | — |
| WR | 6th | Craig Burt Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 7th | Moussa Barry | JR | 6'2" | 194 | — |
| WR | 8th | L'Christian Smith | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 9th | Ze'Vian Capers | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 10th | Denzil Alleyne | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 11th | Marvin Sims | JR | 5'11" | 180 | — |
Tight Ends · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | River Helms | SR | 6'4" | 230 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Trevor Borland | — | — | — | ★★ |
Offensive Line · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Marshall Jackson | SR | 6'6" | 304 | — |
| OL | — | Wesley Horton | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Hosea Wheeler | SR | 6'3" | 300 | — |
| DL | 2nd | Deante McCray | JR | 6'4" | 274 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Jayden Loving | SR | 6'2" | 317 | — |
| DL | 4th | Kenyonte Davis | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 5th | Terrion Thompson | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 6th | Dallas Walker IV | SR | 6'3" | 362 | ★★★ |
| DL | 7th | Marcus Patterson | JR | 6'3" | 260 | — |
| DL | 8th | Ryan Williams | SR | 6'4" | 270 | ★★★ |
| DT | 1st | Keaton Law | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DT | 2nd | Dareon Goodrum | — | — | — | — |
Linebackers · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Kylan Guidry | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 2nd | Desmyn Baker | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 3rd | Niko Cooper | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 4th | JaQues Evans | SR | 6'2" | 270 | — |
| LB | 5th | Aaron Key | SR | 6'2" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Sebastian Benjamin | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 7th | Devon Lynch | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 8th | Rashion Hodge | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 9th | Anthony Brackenridge | SR | 6'2" | 225 | ★★★ |
| LB | 10th | Bryson Washington | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 11th | Koron Hayward | SO | 6'5" | 248 | ★★★ |
| LB | 12th | Lonnie Rice | — | — | — | — |
Defensive Backs · 14
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB | 1st | Talique Allen | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 2nd | Takulve Williams | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 3rd | Anthony Johnson Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 4th | Davion Williams | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 5th | Upton Stout | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 6th | Virgil Marshall | JR | 5'11" | 205 | ★★★ |
| DB | 7th | Rome Weber | — | — | — | ★★ |
| DB | 8th | T.J. Springer | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 9th | Nazir Ward | SO | 6'0" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 10th | Alexander Ford | JR | 6'0" | 190 | ★★★ |
| DB | 11th | Manny Moss | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 12th | Rickie Davis Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 13th | Xavier Shaw | — | — | — | — |
| S | 1st | Kendrick Simpkins | SR | 6'0" | 199 | — |
Special Teams · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | Trey Naughton | — | — | — | — |
| P | 1st | Tom Ellard | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| PK | 1st | Lucas Carneiro | JR | 5'11" | 190 | — |
| PK | 2nd | Cory Munson | — | — | — | ★★★ |
2023 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
28.761
Off PPA
+0.1957
Pass PPA
+0.3369
Rush PPA
+0.0211
Success
41%34
Explosive
1.3692
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
2023 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.19 | +0.19 |
| Passing | +0.33 | +0.25 |
| Rushing | +0.02 | +0.19 |
| 1st Down | -0.01 | -0.03 |
| 2nd Down | +0.15 | +0.15 |
| 3rd Down | +0.63 | +0.58 |
Scoring Trend
2023 · pts/game
PPG For
29.8
PPG Against
28.2
Differential
+1.7
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / LResults
2023
- Overall
- 7-5
- Home
- 4-2
- Away
- 3-3
- Conference
- 5-3
- Non-Conference
- 2-2
- One-Score (≤8)
- 3-2
- Avg Margin
- +1.7
Situational Splits
2023 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 4-2 | 35.0 | 26.5 |
| Away | 3-3 | 24.7 | 29.8 |
| Neutral | 1-0 | 38.0 | 35.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 0-1 | 10.0 | 63.0 |
| Conference | 5-3 | 28.9 | 25.3 |
| Non-conference | 3-2 | 33.0 | 34.2 |
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 · 1-3 ATS · O0/U2
Betting Profile
2023 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 8-5 |
| ATS | 5-742% |
| Over / Under | 4-6 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 4-5 |
| As underdog | 1-2 |
| Home | 2-4 |
| Away | 3-3 |
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 #89
Returning prod 47%Departed 53%
Talent composite491.3 #89 / 238
Returning usage (pass / rush / rec)50 / 58 / 52
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2023
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.