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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Western Kentucky

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11/27/22 - Sebastian Benjamin, rSr/2025, Western Kentucky + More +

2022 ALL-NORTHEAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM: DL Sebastian Benjamin, Saint Francis U, R-So,...Alongside teammate Brown, Benjamin became the first defensive lineman on the All-NEC First Team since 2009. He ranked third in the NEC with 6.5 sacks this season and tied a single-game program record with four sacks in the season-opener at Akron. He was a one-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week and NEC Prime Performer selection this season. - Saint Francis U Football

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DE Sebastian Benjamin, Western Kentucky
News Source: Saint Francis U Football
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11/26/22 - Willie Taggart Jr., rJr/2026, Western Kentucky + More +

Florida Atlantic fired Willie Taggart on Saturday, only hours after the end of a third consecutive five-win season and no bowl bid for the second time in that span. Taggart was 15-18 in his three seasons with the Owls - 5-4 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, then 5-7 in each of the last two seasons. His finale was Saturday, a 32-31 overtime loss at home to his alma mater Western Kentucky. FAU is heading to the American Athletic Conference next season. “This evening, we made a change in leadership with the Florida Atlantic University football program,” FAU athletic director Brian White said in a release distributed by the school. “It was a difficult decision, as we have tremendous respect for Willie Taggart. He has represented FAU with class and character. However, the lack of on-field success needed to be addressed as we look toward the future.” White said the school would immediately begin a national search.

Taggart was brought in after Lane Kiffin left FAU for Ole Miss in 2019. Kiffin brilliantly revived his career at FAU, going 26-13 with a pair of Conference USA championships. Both FAU and Taggart hoped he had followed on the same path; he came to Boca Raton with a 56-62 record at four previous schools - Western Kentucky, South Florida, Oregon and Florida State. Taggart had a winning record at just one of those stops; he was 7-5 in his lone season at Oregon. He was 16-20 at Western Kentucky, 24-25 at USF and 9-12 at Florida State. He's had more 10-loss seasons (two) than 10-win seasons (one), has never been the head coach of a bowl win and has now missed qualifying for a bowl in 10 of his 13 seasons. He lost in his one bowl trip with USF, lost his only bowl trip with FAU, and left for Florida State before Oregon's trip to the Las Vegas Bowl in 2017. - AP College Football

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WR Willie Taggart Jr., Western Kentucky
News Source: AP College Football
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11/26/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky + More +

Austin Reed threw three touchdowns and ran for another and Western Kentucky denied Florida Atlantic bowl eligibility beating the Owls 32-31 in overtime on Saturday. The Hilltoppers (8-5, 6-2 Conference USA) entered bowl eligible but missed a chance to play UTSA in the conference title game when North Texas (7-5, 6-2) beat Rice 21-17 later in the day. The Mean Green owned the tie breaker against Western Kentucky having beaten it 40-13 at Bowling Green on Oct. 29.

Trailing 31-24 after the Owls (5-7, 4-4) scored on their first overtime possession, Western Kentucky countered when Reed ran it in from the 1. The Hilltoppers followed by opting for the two-point conversion and secured the win when Reed rolled right and threw to an open Joshua Simon. Reed threw for 410 yards and Davion Ervin-Poindexter ran for 108 yards on 17 carries. N'Kosi Perry threw for 284 yards and a pair of scores and Larry McCammon had 127 yards rushing on 16 carries and a touchdown for the Owls. - Western Kentucky/AP College Football

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QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: Western Kentucky/AP College Football
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11/14/22 - Jaylen Hall, rSr/2023, Western Kentucky + More +

NOV 14 CONFERENCE USA SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WKU PR Jaylen Hall was named C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time this season after bringing a punt back for a touchdown in WKU's win over Rice. Hall had a huge all-around day for WKU in its 45-10 victory over Rice. From a special teams perspective, Hall returned a punt 46 yards for a touchdown to help the Hilltoppers put the game out of reach. Additionally, Hall hauled in seven passes for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the afternoon. - Conference USA Football

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WR Jaylen Hall, Western Kentucky
News Source: Conference USA Football
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11/12/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky + More +

Austin Reed threw three touchdown passes - two to Jaylen Hall, who added a 46-yard punt return for a score - and ran a 1-yard TD to help Western Kentucky beat Rice 45-10 Saturday to become bowl eligible. Hall opened the scoring with a 25-yard touchdown reception on the game's fifth play from scrimmage, Daewoo Davis Jr. added a 62-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown that capped an 11-play, 96-yard drive midway through the second quarter and JaQues Evans returned a fumble 14 yard for score 90 seconds later to make it 21-0.

Hall's punt return early in the fourth quarter gave Western Kentucky (7-4, 5-2 Conference USA) 38-10 and his 2-yard TD reception with 6:16 left capped the scoring. He finished with seven receptions for 102 yards. Rice (5-5, 3-3) had 24 first downs and converted 7-of-11 third downs but threw four interceptions and lost two fumbles. Jumo Otoviano had 97 yards rushing on 17 carries for the Owls. Uriah West's 1-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds left in the second quarter trimmed Rice's deficit to 21-7 but WKU's Brayden Narveson kicked a 25-yard field goal as the half expired. - Western Kentucky/AP College Football

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QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: Western Kentucky/AP College Football
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11/07/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky + More +

NOV 7 CONFERENCE USA OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WKU QB Austin Reed had his best game as a Hilltopper Saturday, leading the Tops to a dominant 59-7 victory on the road at Charlotte. Reed threw for 409 yards and six touchdowns on the day, both season highs for the Florida native. All six of his touchdown passes were to six different receivers, and Reed did not throw any interceptions on the day. He completed 23-38 passes on the afternoon, including a long of 64 on which he and Malachi Corley connected for a touchdown. Reed's first two passing attempts of the game were both touchdowns. One a 46-yard touchdown strike to Jaylen Hall, the other a seven-yard score to Daewood Davis. - Conference USA Football

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QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: Conference USA Football
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11/05/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky + More +

Austin Reed threw touchdown passes to five different receivers in the first half and quickly added a sixth after halftime to lead Western Kentucky to a 59-7 win over Charlotte on Saturday. There was never any doubt the Hilltoppers (6-4, 4-2 Conference USA) would become bowl eligible with their graduate transfer quarterback from Division III West Florida. A week after surpassing 10,000 career yards and reaching 100 career touchdown passes, Reed led Western Kentucky to touchdowns on their first three possessions and five of seven possessions before halftime. The second snap of the game produced a 46-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Hall.

The next possession was a one-play drive, Daewood Davis on the receiving end of a seven-yard play following an interception. The fourth score was the 14th-career touchdown reception for Joshua Simon, the most by a tight end in program history. Reed was 23 of 38 for a season-best 409 yards. M alachi Corley, who had a 64-yard scoring reception, had six catches for a career-high 162 yards. Anthony Brackenridge returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, the 13th interception for the Hilltoppers and their fifth defensive score in 24 takeaways. Reserve quarterback Darius Ocean threw a touchdown pass in the final minute to set a school record with seven different receivers scoring. Chris Reynolds threw a touchdown pass for the 49ers (2-8, 1-5). - Western Kentucky/AP College Football

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QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: Western Kentucky/AP College Football
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10/24/22 - Kahlef Hailassie, rJr/2023, Western Kentucky + More +

OCT 24 CONFERENCE USA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WKU DB Kahlef Hailassie had one of the best games of his career in WKU's Friday night win over UAB. The redshirt junior was involved in three of the WKU defense's four forced turnovers on the night. Hailassie recovered one fumble, forced another that was recovered by a teammate, and came up with a critical interception late in the game to preserve the WKU lead, so the offense could run out the clock and secure the victory. With the Hilltoppers leading 20-17 in the closing minutes, UAB drove all the way to the WKU 10-yard line, threatening to tie or take the lead. On third down, the Blazers threw a pass to the front corner of the end zone which Hailassie intercepted to get the ball back to the offense. Hailassie also added five tackles to his stat line with a half tackle for loss. - Conference USA Football

rJr/2023

CB Kahlef Hailassie, Western Kentucky
News Source: Conference USA Football
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10/21/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky + More +

Austin Reed ran for two touchdowns and the Western Kentucky defense didn't allow a point in the second half as the Hilltoppers came from behind to beat UAB 20-17 on Friday night. Dylan Hopkins fired a 59-yard scoring strike to Samario Rudolph on UAB's first possession and the Blazers led 7-0 after one quarter. Western Kentucky (5-2, 3-1 Conference USA) tied the game 55 seconds into the second quarter on Reed's 20-yard touchdown run, but UAB (4-3, 2-2) answered with Matt Quinn's 35-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead. Backup quarterback Jacob Zeno connected with Fred Farrier II for a 14-yard touchdown and a 17-7 Blazers' advantage. Zeno took over when Hopkins left the game after losing a fumble on a sack.

Brayden Narveson kicked a 47-yard field goal with 1:41 left to pull the Hilltoppers within 17-10 at halftime. Narveson added a 44-yarder with 5:03 left in the third quarter to get WKU within 17-13 and the Hilltoppers defense followed with the play of the game. Kahlef Hailassie forced a fumble by national rushing leader DeWayne McBride and JaQues Evans scooped it up and returned it 29 yards, setting up a first-and-goal at the Blazers' 6-yard line. Two plays later Reed bulled his way into the end zone from a yard out and the Hilltoppers took the lead for good. Reed, who came into the game as one of only five quarterbacks with 20 touchdown passes already this season, completed 14 of 23 for 128 yards for WKU. He has six rushing touchdowns this season. L.T. Sanders carried 16 times for 120 yards. McBride, who came in averaging 155.6 yards a game on the ground, finished with 197 on 24 carries for UAB. - Western Kentucky/AP College Football

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QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: Western Kentucky/AP College Football
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10/19/22 - Craig Burt Jr., rSr/2024, Western Kentucky + More +

Western Kentucky wide receiver Craig Burt Jr. on Tuesday announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. Burt, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior from Columbus, Ohio, played in four games this season. He had 70 yards on four receptions and also saw action on special teams. He had not been with the team since after the FIU game, and when asked about his status Sept. 29, head coach Tyson Helton said, "I don't have any status on Craig Burt." Burt was not targeted in the 73-0 blowout against the Panthers, after having two catches for 27 yards on two targets the week before at Indiana. He had a 25-yard reception on his only target at Hawaii, and had one catch for 18 yards on two targets in the opener against Austin Peay. - BG Daily News

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WR Craig Burt Jr., Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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10/15/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky + More +

Austin Reed threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead Western Kentucky past Middle Tennessee 35-17 on Saturday for the program's 600th victory. WKU led 14-10 at halftime. Reed found Joshua Simon with a short touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal to take a 28-10 lead late in the third quarter. It moved Simon into a tie for second pace for most TDs by a tight end in program history with 12. Early in the fourth, Darius Thomas made a leaping interception on a screen pass and raced 42 yards for a touchdown. Reed was 32-of-49 passing for 278 yards with an interception, and he carried 12 times for 39 yards. Malachi Corley caught 10 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown and Kye Robichaux had a rushing touchdown for Western Kentucky (4-3, 2-1 Conference USA). Chase Cunningham completed 32 of 51 passes for 228 yards with one touchdown and one interception for Middle Tennessee (3-4, 0-3). - Western Kentucky/AP College Football

rSr/2024

QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: Western Kentucky/AP College Football
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10/14/22 - Sebastian Benjamin, rSr/2025, Western Kentucky + More +

SEP 5 NEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sebastian Benjamin, Saint Francis U, LB, So., Philadelphia, PA, Northeast,...Week 1 Stats: 4 sacks, 6 solo tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1 forced fumble...Benjamin had four sacks for Saint Francis U, which pushed FBS opponent Akron to the bring before coming up short in overtime. The linebacker from Philly matched his sack total from the entire 2021 campaign in his season debut against the Zips. In addition, the four sacks matched a single-season program record, and they were the most by a NEC player since Merrimack's Cory Hagerman had four against LIU on Nov. 23, 2019. - NEC Football

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DE Sebastian Benjamin, Western Kentucky
News Source: NEC Football
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10/14/22 - Sebastian Benjamin, rSr/2025, Western Kentucky + More +

SEP 5 NEC PRIME PERFORMER: Sebastian Benjamin, SFU (LB, So.),...Benjamin tied Saint Francis U's single-game record with four sacks against FBS opponent Akron to also earn NEC Defensive Player of the Week distinction. The sophomore, who entered the season with four career sacks, recorded the most in a game by a NEC player since Cory Hagerman of Merrimack had four against LIU on November 23, 2019. - NEC Football

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DE Sebastian Benjamin, Western Kentucky
News Source: NEC Football
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09/26/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky + More +

Western Kentucky's 73-0 win over Florida International was the biggest margin of victory in a game matching FBS teams since Michigan rolled Rutgers 78-0 on Oct. 8, 2016. Ohio State set the national season high for points in its 77-21 win over Toledo on Sept. 17. - AP College Football

rSr/2024

QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: AP College Football
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09/24/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky + More +

Austin Reed passed for 381 yards and five touchdowns and Western Kentucky rolled to a 73-0 victory over Florida International on Saturday. Reed completed 29 of 35 passes for Western Kentucky (3-1) in a Conference USA opener. The Hilltoppers have scored at least 30 points in 18 straight games. Reed connected with Malachi Corley for a 76-yard touchdown to open the scoring and teamed up with Joey Beljan for a 9-yard score on the final play of the first quarter. Reed hit Corley for a 21-yard touchdown and found Dalvin Smith for a 12-yard score - giving him touchdown passes on four straight possessions. Reed's final scoring toss was a 4-yarder to Daewood Davis with 26 seconds left in the first half for a 42-0 lead.

Davion Ervin-Poindexter had two touchdown runs for Western Kentucky and L.T. Sanders ran 35 yards for a score. Backup quarterback Darius Ocean threw a 44-yard scoring strike to Easton Messer and Aaron Key returned a fumble 48 yards for a touchdown. The last shutout for the Hilltoppers came in 2011 against Florida Atlantic. WKU piled up 688 yards of offense, while yielding just 180. The Hillltoppers' next victory will be the program's 600th. It was the most points FIU has allowed in program history. The Panthers surrendered 72 in a 2013 loss to Louisville. - Western Kentucky/AP College Football

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