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Austin Reed threw four touchdown passes in his Western Kentucky debut and the Hilltoppers defeated Austin Peay 38-27 in a season-opener on Saturday. Reed's first three TD throws went to Malachi Corley, a sophomore who caught 73 passes last season. Western Kentucky recovered a fumble near midfield after Corley's third touchdown catch and Reed quickly found All-American candidate Daewood Davis deep over the middle for a 48-yard score and a 35-20 lead early in the fourth quarter. After forcing a punt on the Governors' next possession, Western Kentucky was driving again before Reed threw his only interception of the game, a pickoff by Shamari Simmons.

Austin Peay then closed the gap to 35-27 when Mike Diliello hit Drae McCray for 24 yards and a touchdown. The Hilltoppers regained a two-score advantage, driving 70 yards in 11 plays for a 23-yard field goal by Brayden Narveson. Austin Peay fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, the Hilltoppers recovered and ran the final three minutes off the clock. Upton Stout's 34-yard pick-6 in the second quarter put Western Kentucky ahead 21-10 and the Hilltoppers went on to lead 21-17 at halftime. Reed, who transferred from West Florida, the team he led to the 2019 Division II national championship, completed 19 of 33 passes for 276 yards. Davis caught six passes for 124 yards and Corley had five receptions for 61 yards. - Western Kentucky/AP College Football

(DS#11 QB) rSr/2024

QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: Western Kentucky/AP College Football
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08/27/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky, 6-2, 220 (DS#11 QB) + More +

An influx of transfers last year - nearly a quarter of the roster was transfers - helped lead the offense to second nationally in scoring and yards per game - and first in passing yards - but many key players need replaced. That starts with Bailey Zappe, who set single-season FBS records for passing yards and passing touchdowns in his one year with the program, and Jerreth Sterns, who led the country in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, as well as WKU's second-leading receiver, Mitchell Tinsley. West Florida transfer Austin Reed will start at quarterback, and WKU still has a deep receiving room with players like Daewood Davis, Malachi Corley, Dalvin Smith and Craig Burt returning, and transfers like Jaylen Hall and Michael Mathison joining the team.

Joey Beljan and Josh Simon - who missed almost all of 2021 with a knee injury - are back at tight end, but the Hilltoppers only return two starters on the offensive line. The top two rushers from 2021 have departed, and WKU will look to experienced players like Jakairi Moses and Kye Robichaux, as well as Indiana transfer Davion Ervin-Poindexter, to help replace that production lost. "Of course everybody knows we were really, really good on offense last year," Arbuckle said at media day. "Some pieces left and a lot of turnover and stuff, but I'm really excited about the guys we have in here, players-wise and the coaching staff we have. Coach Helton's done a great job of assembling a staff that works together, a lot of continuity and, frankly, we're going to try to put our guys in the best position to be successful and score enough points to win the game, whatever that may be." - BG Daily News

(DS#11 QB) rSr/2024

QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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08/22/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky, 6-2, 220 (DS#11 QB) + More +

Austin Reed will be Western Kentucky's starting quarterback. The Hilltoppers have named the West Florida transfer QB1, head coach Tyson Helton confirmed after Thursday's practice. Reed was in a quarterback competition throughout the fall with West Virginia transfer Jarret Doege, who has entered the transfer portal. "At the end of the day, I just felt like he gave our team a good opportunity to win," Helton said. "I thought, as I've said all along, both quarterbacks we can win with. We can win championships with both quarterbacks. The job as the head football coach is I've got to pick one of them and that's a tough pick. I just felt like Austin did a couple things that gives us an opportunity to go win. It doesn't mean he's better. It doesn't mean I'm right. Just my gut told me I needed to go with Austin."

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Reed comes from Division II West Florida, where he went 22-3 as the starting quarterback over two seasons and claimed a national title in 2019. During that time, he threw for 7,507 yards and 78 touchdowns. Helton, at the team's media day, described Reed as "a gunslinger" - "When he goes out there, you don't know where it's headed, but it's headed there fast," Helton said then. "It was my gut," Helton said Thursday. "I just felt like he'd give us a good opportunity to win games. Again, Jarret would've given us a good opportunity to win games as well. I think if you say, 'What's his strengths?' He has big-play ability, he's got a big arm. That doesn't win games - having a big arm - but he's had a lot of good drives that finished with touchdowns. That's really important. The name of the game's put the ball in the end zone. Just some of those things kind of stood out to me." - BG Daily News

(DS#11 QB) rSr/2024

QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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08/21/22 - LaVell Wright, rSr/2026, Western Kentucky, 5-11, 206 (DS#999 RB) + More +

With just more than two weeks left until the opener, we still are awaiting word on the status of star running back Chris Rodriguez. The latest update came from UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart over the weekend when he confirmed UK's administration is involved in the decision about when or if Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty to a DUI charge this summer, will play. Kentucky has no shortage of options in the running back room to take on larger roles if Rodriguez misses time, but LaVell Wright looks like the best candidate in that group to emerge as an every down back. The former North Hardin High School star impressed in a brief cameo last season, totaling 118 yards and one touchdown on nine carries in four games while redshirting. "If my name is called, I've just got to go out there and produce," Wright said. "It's nothing too much to it. Whenever they tell me to go out there, I just need to go on and put on a show." - Herald Leader

(DS#999 RB) rSr/2026

RB LaVell Wright, Western Kentucky
News Source: Herald Leader
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08/17/22 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky, 6-2, 220 (DS#11 QB) + More +

Western Kentucky quarterback Jarret Doege has entered the transfer portal, WKU confirmed to the Daily News on Sunday. Doege, who joined the Hilltoppers as a transfer from West Virginia, was one of the frontrunners for the starting position along with West Florida transfer Austin Reed. Reed on Sunday posted a photo collection on Instagram of photos from fall camp, which linebacker Will Ignont shared to his story with "QB1" written in it, and receiver Dalvin Smith shared it with the comment "Let's Ride!" The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Reed comes from Division II West Florida, where he went 22-3 as the starting quarterback over two seasons and claimed a national title in 2019. During that time, he threw for 7,507 yards and 78 touchdowns.

Helton described Reed as "a gunslinger" - "When he goes out there, you don't know where it's headed, but it's headed there fast," Helton said. "I just like to keep it down to one word and that's a winner," Reed said earlier in camp when describing his game. "In my time, all I've ever judged myself on is how many wins I get. For me, that's the most important thing. I'm going to throw it around the yard. I'm going to make a couple throws that you might clench your butthole when I make that throw. Sorry, that might not be the best use of words, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to win. "This offense is really just suited around putting a guy back there who can win. I'm just hoping to be that guy and hoping to do what this offense needs me to do and let those guys around me make me look good." Reed started his career at Southern Illinois, where he redshirted in 2018 before making the move to Pensacola, Fla., where he won a Division II national title with West Florida in 2019. - BG Daily News

(DS#11 QB) rSr/2024

QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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08/14/22 - Brodric Martin, rSr/2023, Western Kentucky, 6-5, 330 (DS#38 DT) + More +

Brodric Martin came on strong at the tail end of his first year at Western Kentucky and parlayed that into a strong spring. Now, the redshirt senior defensive tackle who came to Bowling Green by way of North Alabama is ready to take on a bigger role as the Hilltoppers head into the 2022 season. "Honestly, that was probably the best thing to ever happen to me," Martin said when asked about his late 2021 success. "At the end of the season, it helped me with my confidence. I feel like the confidence is probably like 70% of this football thing, or what I do. It definitely helped a lot." Martin played in all 14 of WKU's games last year after spending the previous three seasons at North Alabama. In 2021 with the Hilltoppers, the Tuscaloosa, Ala., native had 31 tackles, with 4.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also had a breakup, quarterback hurry and fumble recovery.

His best performances came late in the year, though. He was a team captain for WKU's Nov. 13 game at Rice and, in a Conference USA East Division-clinching win at Marshall, Martin had three tackles, with half a tackle for loss, plus a fumble recovery in a crucial situation. After the Herd had gone ahead 14-0 early, DeAngelo Malone hit Marshall quarterback Grant Wells to force the fumble, which Martin recovered, and WKU went on to score 36 unanswered points in the 53-21 victory. He followed it with a seven-tackle performance, including half a sack, in the Hilltoppers' C-USA championship game loss to UTSA at the Alamodome, and finished the season with three tackles - with a team-high two sacks - in WKU's 59-38 Boca Raton Bowl victory over Appalachian State. - BG Daily News

(DS#38 DT) rSr/2023

DT Brodric Martin, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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08/09/22 - Will Ignont, rSr/2023, Western Kentucky, 6-1, 229 (DS#97 ILB) + More +

Will Ignont is back, and he's ready to make an impact on Western Kentucky's defense. The redshirt senior linebacker missed the Hilltoppers' final three games of the 2021 season and spring practices while recovering from a leg injury, but he has returned to action for WKU's fall camp. "It feels amazing. I can't really describe the feeling," Ignont said. "Obviously I love this game. This is my last year of college football, so I'm just really looking to lead and set the example for younger guys and play as hard and as fast as I can." The 6-foot-1, 240-pound Huntsville, Ala., native was productive in his minutes last season and garnered Conference USA Honorable Mention status. He started the team's first 11 games, racking up 53 tackles with 4.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. He had an interception and fumble recovery to help the Hilltoppers finish second nationally in takeaways in 2021.

Ignont had to sit out the first 11 games of the 2020 season to satisfy transfer rules after coming from Tennessee, where he spent three seasons, but did play in the team's LendingTree Bowl game against Georgia State. He was unable to play in WKU's final three games last season - a victory over Marshall to claim C-USA's East Division crown, the C-USA championship game and the team's Boca Raton Bowl victory over Appalachian State. He had surgery Nov. 30 and sat out during the spring while recovering to be safe, but he was back on the field as the team opened camp July 29. "The rehab process has been great. Jessica (Judd) in the training room and Toryn (Cornell) and those people in the training room, they did a great job really getting me every resource that I needed to get back as fast as possible," Ignont said. "I really feel good. I feel good right now." - BG Daily News

(DS#97 ILB) rSr/2023

ILB Will Ignont, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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08/08/22 - Daewood Davis, rSr/2023, Western Kentucky, 6-1, 196 (DS#84 WR) + More +

After a great performance by his offense in practice Saturday, Western Kentucky coach Tyson Helton was elated. "Big plays all around," he said. Standouts included wide receive Daewood Davis, who last year caught 43 passes for 763 yards and eight touchdowns last season "had a big play, explosive play," while Glasgow native Dalvin Smith - the team's offensive MVP during the spring - "caught a bunch of balls and made some big plays," Helton said. He was also impressed with plays made by Jaylen Hall, a 6-foot-4 receiver who transferred to WKU from Western Michigan in the offseason. Hall caught 46 passes for 752 yards and three scores in 2021. - BG Daily News

(DS#84 WR) rSr/2023

WR Daewood Davis, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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08/02/22 - Quantavious Leslie, rSr/2025, Western Kentucky, 6-3, 317 (DS#40 OG) + More +

2022 PRESEASON OUTLAND TROPHY WATCHLIST: OT Quantavious Leslie, WKU,...Leslie was among those tasked with protecting C-USA MVP and NCAA record-setting quarterback Bailey Zappe last season. As an offensive line unit, Leslie and the rest of the Tops allowed only 17 sacks on the season, which was 12th best in college football and second best within Conference USA. The recipient of the 2022 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Thurs., Dec. 8. - WKU Football

(DS#40 OG) rSr/2025

OG Quantavious Leslie, Western Kentucky
News Source: WKU Football
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07/22/22 - Daewood Davis, rSr/2023, Western Kentucky, 6-1, 196 (DS#84 WR) + More +

2022 PRESEASON BILETNIKOFF AWARD WATCH LIST: Daewood Davis, WKU,...Davis enters 2022 off a big campaign a season ago in which he hauled in 43 receptions for 763 yards and eight touchdowns. Davis found the end zone twice in wins over Middle Tennessee and Marshall. He also finished with a season-high 105 yards receiving in the team's Conference USA East Division Championship clinching victory at the Thundering Herd. His efforts helped WKU finish second in the country in total offense. - WKU Football

(DS#84 WR) rSr/2023

WR Daewood Davis, Western Kentucky
News Source: WKU Football
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07/16/22 - Kahlef Hailassie, rJr/2023, Western Kentucky, 6-1, 193 (DS#47 CB) + More +

The East-West Shrine Bowl released its Shrine Bowl 1,000 list Wednesday with six Western Kentucky football players making the cut. Defensive back Kahlef Hailassie, defensive lineman Brodric Martin, wide receiver Jaylen Hall, quarterback Jarret Doege, kicker Brayden Narveson and offensive lineman Rusty Staats all made the cut on the initial list. The Shrine Bowl 1,000 is a list of the top 1,000 all-star game eligible players at the FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA level. Every year, about 1,000 all-star game eligible players are drafted, signed after the draft or attend a rookie mini-camp.

The Shrine Bowl 1,000 serves as a look into the scouting process and previews players from schools who are all-star game eligible who may be invited to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl and 2023 NFL Draft class. Hailassie, Martin, Narveson and Staats all made significant contributions to WKU's successful 2021 season, which resulted in a Conference USA East Division championship and Boca Raton Bowl championship. On the defensive side of the ball, Hailassie totaled 57 tackles, including three for loss, while intercepting two passes and breaking up an additional five. Martin compiled 31 tackles with 4.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also recovered one fumble. - BG Daily News

(DS#47 CB) rJr/2023

CB Kahlef Hailassie, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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07/14/22 - Markese Stepp, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky, 6-0, 229 (DS#90 RB) + More +

Running back Markese Stepp has left Nebraska's football program and entered the transfer portal, the Omaha World-Herald confirmed on Tuesday. Stepp, who transferred from USC for the 2021 season, carried the ball 45 times for 177 yards and two touchdowns. His production peaked early - 18 carries for 101 yards against Fordham - before he spent much of Big Ten play No. 3 or No. 4 on the depth chart. His departure leaves NU with six scholarship backs. - Lincoln Journal Star

(DS#90 RB) rSr/2024

RB Markese Stepp, Western Kentucky
News Source: Lincoln Journal Star
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07/08/22 - Jaylen Lewis, rJr/2027, Western Kentucky, 6-0, 180 (DS#999 CB) + More +

Jaylen Lewis isn't lacking confidence. The freshman defensive back at the University of Arkansas plans to be a player fans will have etched in their memories before he leaves campus. "I bring a swagger, a toughness," Lewis said last week. "Maybe it's something Arkansas ain't never seen before. The way I play, the way I move, the way I talk, it's different between anybody else that came through Arkansas. "No disrespect on anybody. No disrespect on Mo[ntaric] Brown, Joe Foucha, Greg Brooks, [Jalen] Catalon, Simeon Blair, all them guys."

Lewis and his friend Anthony Brown, a fellow west Tennessee defensive back, joined the Razorback secondary as early enrollees in the spring. The 6-0, 180-pound Lewis repped at cornerback and nickel back and he could start the season at the No. 2 nickel in the diverse and multi-positional secondary directed by coordinator Barry Odom and corners coach Dominique Bowman that features returning starters in the safeties Blair and Catalon, nickel Myles Slusher as well as corners LaDarrius Bishop and Hudson Clark. "Right now, I'm hopefully going to play," Lewis said. "I'm on the second spot on the depth chart so right now just praying and continuing to work and whatever happens just happens." - Northwest Arkansas Times

(DS#999 CB) rJr/2027

CB Jaylen Lewis, Western Kentucky
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
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02/28/22 - Lorenzo Hernandez, rSr/2023, Western Kentucky, 6-0, 282 (DS#96 DT) + More +

2021 ALL-BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE SECOND-TEAM (COCHES/MEDIA): DL - Lorenzo Hernandez, Jr., Monmouth,...Defensive lineman Lorenzo Hernandez and defensive back Tyrese Wright earn their first All-Big South honors of their careers. Hernandez was a consistent nuisance this season, leading the team in tackles for a loss and sacks with 10.5 and 5.0, respectively. - Monmouth Football

(DS#96 DT) rSr/2023

DT Lorenzo Hernandez, Western Kentucky
News Source: Monmouth Football
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02/28/22 - Jake Bowman, rJr/2025, Western Kentucky, 5-11, 215 (DS#999 LS) + More +

2021 CONFERENCE USA ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM (COACHES): LS Jake Bowman, WKU,...WKU Football had 10 selections to the All-Conference USA Teams, as selected by the league's 14 head coaches, it was announced Tuesday. The 10 total representatives ranked second in the league to UTSA (11), while the Hilltoppers' six on the First Team tied with the Roadrunners for most. WKU also had six players on the C-USA First Team in both 2015 and 2016. The Hilltoppers had eight on the Second Team in 2016 to make the program's record mark of 14 total. - Western Kentucky Football

(DS#999 LS) rJr/2025

LS Jake Bowman, Western Kentucky
News Source: Western Kentucky Football
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