West Kentucky Hilltoppers

Head Coach

David Elson	6th year
07-08	7-5
Independent	0-0
FCR	120

Previous Season Wins

Head Coach - Western Kentucky will be in year two of their transition to Division-I football and Head Coach Dave Elson, who’s entering his 6th year will have his work cut out for him as the Hilltoppers look to run their streak of consecutive winning seasons to thirteen. They return six starters on offense and utilize a four-wide attack that will put points on the board. Their schedule has been significantly upgraded as The Hilltoppers prepare to become full fledged members of the Sun Belt beginning next year.

Quarterback - At quarterback for the Hilltoppers look for either senior David Wolke or sophomore K.J. Black this fall. Western Kentucky deployed a two-man rotation under center last year and their numbers were virtually identical but Black has better running skills. Black looked good this spring and appears to be the frontrunner to be the starter when the season begins.

Running Backs - At running back the Hilltoppers have junior Tyrell Hayden who last season was outstanding, e finished with 1,134 yards rushing and 10 TD’s, he possesses great speed and can get outside in a hurry. It’s a deep group and redshirt freshman Bobby Rainey will be the number two option.

Receivers - The go four-wide and with three returning starters with junior Jake Gaebler who had 35 receptions for 426 yards and the three TD’s the leading returning receiver. Also returning is senior Jessie Quinn and sophomore Quinterrance Cooper who looked this spring like he’s poised to become the number one option on the outside for the Hilltoppers this fall. Sophomore Seth Tammie will also be in the mix and when they go with a tight end it will be senior David Miller.

Offensive Line - Lots of questions as only two starters return and both tackles must be replaced upfront. Look for seniors Chris McConnell to be the new left tackle and starting at right tackle will be Greg Ryan, McConnell, missed last season with an injury but appears ready to return to the starting unit. In the middle junior Cody Hughes returns at left guard as does junior Lloyd Pressley at center, joining them will be senior Austin Chestnut at right guard. A pair of sophomores, Preston King and Jacob McLaurin played well this spring and will be in the mix for playing time this fall.

Defensive Line - Western Kentucky was solid against the run last season and return both ends in their three man front in seniors Dan Cline and Jon Belcher, Cline had two sacks last season and despite missing some time this spring he’s the leader upfront. Taking over at nose tackle will be senior Terald Clark, he been a solid part of the rotation and although he doesn’t get much pressure upfield he is solid against the run.

Linebackers - They return two starters with junior Blake Boyd on the outside and inside senior Alonzo Higgins, the duo combined for 90 tackles last season. Starting on the outside will be senior Ben Sowders who had 29 tackles last fall in a reserve role and inside will be sophomore Chris Bullard who added 35 tackles and three interceptions.

Defensive Backs - The Hilltoppers are set at the corners as both senior Marcus Minor and junior Rashad Etheridge return, Minor is the teams leading returning tackler with 61 and will draw the opponents number one receiver. At free safety will be sophomore Orlando Misaalefua and senior Brad Cloud will get the call at strong safety

Special Teams - At punter junior Jeremy Moore returns, he was solid a year ago with 41.7 yard average and 13 inside the 20, junior Zac Minturn will be Western Kentucky new placekicker. Handling the returns for Hilltoppers will be juniors Rashad Etheridge on the kick returns and on the punt returns will be Jake Gaebler.

Schedule - Major upgrade for the Hilltoppers this fall in the schedule as the transition to D-1 continues. Seven road games and dates at Indiana, Alabama, Kentucky and Va Tech will signal an end to their streak of 12 consecutive winning seasons. Western Kentucky has a proven winning tradition and will quickly be competitive in the Sun Belt when they become full fledged members next year but they’ll struggle to find wins this fall. Look for the Hilltoppers to take a big step back and end the season with only 4 wins.