Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Conference USA
8-6 (6-3 conf)
SP+ #78
Ratings
2024
- SP+
- -2.2 (#78)
- SP+ Offense
- 22.1
- SP+ Defense
- 26.1
- SRS
- -5.4
- FPI
- -7.7
- Elo
- 1364
- Talent
- 519
- Recruiting
- 140 (#111)
Schedule
record 8–6
Schedule
119th
toughest of 134
Offenses faced
128th
toughest of 134
Defenses faced
84th
toughest of 134
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 134 (easiest) · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Margin | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Alabama | +25 | 0-63 | -63 | L |
| 2 | vsEastern Kentucky | FCS | 31-0 | +31 | W |
| 3 | @Middle Tennessee | -24.4 | 49-21 | +28 | W |
| 4 | vsToledo | -2.5 | 26-21 | +5 | W |
| 5 | @Boston College | +1.2 | 20-21 | -1 | L |
| 7 | vsUTEP | -22.7 | 44-17 | +27 | W |
| 8 | @Sam Houston | -6.9 | 31-14 | +17 | W |
| 10 | vsKennesaw State | -25.1 | 31-14 | +17 | W |
| 11 | @New Mexico State | -19 | 41-28 | +13 | W |
| 12 | vsLouisiana Tech | -11.6 | 7-12 | -5 | L |
| 13 | @Liberty | +0.2 | 21-38 | -17 | L |
| 14 | vsJacksonville State | -1 | 19-17 | +2 | W |
| 15 | @Jacksonville State | -1 | 12-52 | -40 | L |
| 1 ·P | NJames Madison | +7.5 | 17-27 | -10 | L |
Quarterbacks · 2
2024 · 77
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Caden Veltkamp | JR | 6'6" | 236 | — |
| QB | 2nd | TJ Finley | JR | 6'7" | 238 | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Elijah Young | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | George Hart III | SR | 5'11" | 215 | — |
| RB | 3rd | LT Sanders | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Jalen Hampton | SR | 5'9" | 206 | — |
| RB | — | Javon McMahon | FR | 5'9" | 196 | — |
Wide Receivers · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Easton Messer | JR | 5'9" | 190 | — |
| WR | 2nd | Kisean Johnson | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 3rd | K.D. Hutchinson | JR | 5'8" | 180 | — |
| WR | 4th | Dalvin Smith | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | 5th | Michael Mathison | — | — | — | ★★ |
| WR | 6th | Bryce Childress | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 7th | Moussa Barry | JR | 6'2" | 194 | — |
| WR | 8th | Demick Starling | SR | 6'0" | 190 | ★★★ |
| WR | 9th | Koy Moore | SR | 6'1" | 200 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 10th | Cameron Flowers | FR | 5'11" | 183 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Javy Bunton | SR | 5'11" | 190 | — |
| WR | — | Jax Cooper | SO | 6'3" | 200 | — |
| WR | — | Jarvis Hayes | FR | 6'0" | 177 | — |
Tight Ends · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | River Helms | SR | 6'4" | 230 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Noah Meyers | SO | 6'5" | 240 | — |
| TE | 3rd | Lofton Howard | SO | 6'4" | 230 | — |
| TE | 4th | Trevor Borland | — | — | — | ★★ |
| TE | 5th | Elvin Fofanah | — | — | — | — |
| TE | — | C.J. Kiss | JR | 6'4" | 240 | — |
Offensive Line · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Evan Wibberley | JR | 6'5" | 304 | ★★★ |
| OL | — | Rodney Newsom Jr. | SR | 6'3" | 310 | — |
| OL | — | Hayden Todd | SO | 6'2" | 265 | — |
| OL | — | Stacey Wilkins | SR | 6'7" | 306 | ★★★★ |
| OL | — | Colten Cable | SR | 6'4" | 298 | — |
| OL | — | Travon Taylor | SR | 6'5" | 320 | — |
| OL | — | Michael Ondelacy | SR | 6'6" | 321 | — |
| OL | — | Quantavious Leslie | SR | 6'3" | 317 | — |
| OL | — | Blake Austin | SR | 6'4" | 295 | — |
Defensive Line · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | 1st | Zach Edwards | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DE | 2nd | Harper Holloman | SO | 6'2" | 255 | ★★★ |
| DL | 1st | Hosea Wheeler | SR | 6'3" | 300 | — |
| DL | 2nd | Deante McCray | JR | 6'4" | 274 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Dallas Walker IV | SR | 6'3" | 362 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Terrion Thompson | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 5th | Marcus Patterson | JR | 6'3" | 260 | — |
| DL | 6th | Jayden Loving | SR | 6'2" | 317 | — |
| DL | 7th | Jalil Rivera-Harvey | SR | 6'3" | 300 | — |
| DL | 8th | Jalen Hand | — | — | — | — |
Linebackers · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Sebastian Benjamin | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 2nd | Darius Thomas | JR | 6'2" | 215 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Chandler Matthews | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 4th | Kylan Guidry | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 5th | Terreance Ellis | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 6th | Anthony Brackenridge | SR | 6'2" | 225 | ★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Devon Lynch | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 8th | Keondre Williams | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 9th | Miller Malone | SO | 6'2" | 216 | — |
| LB | 10th | Koron Hayward | SO | 6'5" | 248 | ★★★ |
| LB | 11th | Joshua Mensah | JR | 6'1" | 212 | — |
| LB | — | Reid Jamerson | SO | 5'10" | 225 | — |
| LB | — | Nathan Griffin | — | — | — | — |
Defensive Backs · 16
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Jaymar Mundy | SR | 5'11" | 187 | ★★★ |
| DB | 1st | Devonte' Mathews | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 2nd | Upton Stout | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 3rd | Keyshawn Swanson | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 4th | Anthony Johnson Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| DB | 5th | Demarko Williams | SR | 5'11" | 188 | — |
| DB | 6th | Kent Robinson | JR | 5'11" | 186 | — |
| DB | 7th | Alexander Ford | JR | 6'0" | 190 | ★★★ |
| DB | 8th | Dave Herard | SR | 6'0" | 202 | — |
| DB | 9th | Nazir Ward | SO | 6'0" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 10th | Virgil Marshall | JR | 5'11" | 205 | ★★★ |
| DB | 11th | Jai Eugene Jr. | SO | 6'1" | 202 | ★★★ |
| DB | 12th | Xavion Griffin | FR | 6'0" | 184 | ★★★ |
| DB | 13th | Marvelous Owens | — | — | — | — |
| DB | — | Tate Titshaw | FR | 5'11" | 192 | ★★★ |
| DB | — | Ely George | JR | 5'10" | 193 | — |
Special Teams · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | — | Kolbyn Price | FR | 6'1" | 206 | — |
| P | 1st | Cole Maynard | SR | 6'1" | 180 | — |
| PK | 1st | Lucas Carneiro | JR | 5'11" | 190 | — |
2024 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
22.125
Off PPA
+0.2057
Pass PPA
+0.3688
Rush PPA
+0.0213
Success
42%40
Explosive
1.3173
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
2024 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.20 | +0.22 |
| Passing | +0.36 | +0.30 |
| Rushing | +0.02 | +0.20 |
| 1st Down | +0.06 | +0.09 |
| 2nd Down | +0.09 | +0.16 |
| 3rd Down | +0.62 | +0.59 |
Scoring Trend
2024 · pts/game
PPG For
25.5
PPG Against
24.5
Differential
+1.1
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / LResults
2024
- Overall
- 8-5
- Home
- 5-1
- Away
- 3-4
- Conference
- 6-3
- Non-Conference
- 2-2
- One-Score (≤8)
- 2-2
- Avg Margin
- +1.1
Situational Splits
2024 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 5-1 | 26.3 | 13.5 |
| Away | 3-4 | 24.9 | 33.9 |
| Neutral | 0-1 | 17.0 | 27.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 0-1 | 0.0 | 63.0 |
| Conference | 6-3 | 28.3 | 23.7 |
| Non-conference | 2-3 | 18.8 | 26.4 |
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
1-4 SU · 1-3 ATS · O2/U2
Betting Profile
2024 · 13 w/ line
| Straight up | 8-6 |
| ATS | 7-654% |
| Over / Under | 6-7 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 4-3 |
| As underdog | 3-3 |
| Home | 4-2 |
| Away | 3-4 |
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 #107
Returning prod 38%Departed 62%
Portal in 21net -9Out 30
Talent composite518.9 #107 / 134
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.0 / 3.0
Returning usage (pass / rush / rec)13 / 49 / 50
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Upton Stout | CB | 4★ | ← Western Kentucky |
| ▲ | Kisean Johnson | WR | 3★ | ← Alabama State |
| ▲ | TJ Finley | QB | 3★ | ← Texas State |
| ▲ | Devonte' Mathews | CB | 3★ | ← Nicholls |
| ▼ | Upton Stout | CB | 4★ | → Western Kentucky |
| ▼ | Blue Smith | WR | 4★ | → — |
| ▼ | Ze'Vian Capers | WR | 4★ | → Gardner-Webb |
| ▼ | Kendrick Simpkins | S | 3★ | → Baylor |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2024
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.