Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Conference USABowling Green, KYHouchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium
2026: 3–4 (2–1 Conference USA). Last: won at Sam Houston 16–3. Next: Delaware, Tuesday, Oct 27, 7 p.m. ET.
- L 14–49at Nevada
- L 20–70at No. 2 Georgia
- L 0–38at No. 4 Indiana
- W 52–7Mercyhurst
- L 13–34at New Mexico State
- W 34–13Missouri State
- W 16–3at Sam Houston
- Oct 27Delaware
- Nov 7at Middle Tennessee
- Nov 14Jacksonville State
- Nov 21at Liberty
- Nov 28Kennesaw State
- Outfitted by Nike
Western Kentucky has played football since 1908 and is officially 632–437–30; 334 of its 1,099 games are in our file. Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 24, in 2015. They have won nine Ohio Valley Conference titles (the last in 2000), plus two Conference USA titles, one Missouri Valley Football Conference title, one Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association title, counting shared titles. Since 1965, the NFL Draft has taken 21 players from here in its first seven rounds, 0 of them in the first round. Tyson Helton (2019–2026) won more games here than any other coach: 60. This season, under Tyson Helton, they’re 3–4.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 632–437–30 official; 172–162 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 9–4 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 1 ranked
- Elo now
- 1474 87th of 138 FBS
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 108 · Composite No. 124 in FBS, Oct 17; up 5 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 13 last in 2016
- Bowl record
- 11–6 official, bowls only
- Seasons
- 56 since 1925, 334 games
Identity
- Fight song
- Stand Up and Cheer!
- Mascot
- Big Red
- Apparel
- Nike
- Band
- Western Kentucky Big Red Marching Band since 1925, 260 members
2026 season 3–4
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | at Nevada | L 14–49 | 58% |
| Sep 12 | at 2Georgia | L 20–70 | 16% |
| Sep 19 | at 4Indiana | L 0–38 | 11% |
| Sep 26 | vs Mercyhurst | W 52–7 | 86% |
| Oct 1 | at New Mexico State | L 13–34 | 59% |
| Oct 8 | vs Missouri State | W 34–13 | 60% |
| Oct 14 | at Sam Houston | W 16–3 | 56% |
| Oct 27 | vs Delaware | Preview | 67% |
| Nov 7 | at Middle Tennessee | Preview | 57% |
| Nov 14 | vs Jacksonville State | Preview | 48% |
| Nov 21 | at Liberty | Preview | 33% |
| Nov 28 | vs Kennesaw State | Preview | 66% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Future schedule
2027–32- 20274 games: 2 home, 2 away, non-conference only
- 20282 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only
- 20291 game: 1 away, non-conference only
- at Indiana
- 20312 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only
- 20321 game: 1 away, non-conference only
- at Marshall
Western Kentucky’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of August 20, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
On the 2026 team
- Brock Glenn663 passing yards, 5 TD (leads Western Kentucky in passing touchdowns)
- Jaylen Lewis58 tackles (leads Western Kentucky in tackles)
- Rodney Tisdale Jr.862 passing yards, 4 TD (leads Western Kentucky in passing yards)
- Ajay Allen332 rushing yards, 4 TD (leads Western Kentucky in rushing yards)
- Jonathan Stafford Jr.41 catches, 375 yards, 1 TD (leads Western Kentucky in receiving yards)
- Westen Ard41 tackles, 2.5 sacks (leads Western Kentucky in sacks)
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Western Kentucky.
Around the program
- Apparel
- Nike · Official source
- Western Kentucky University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Mascot
- Big Red · Single source
- Bowling Green Daily News; read 2026-10-10
- Bowling Green Daily News; read 2026-10-10
- Athletic director
- Todd Stewart · Official source
- Western Kentucky University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Offensive coordinator
- Bodie Reeder · Official source
- Western Kentucky University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Defensive coordinator
- Davis Merritt · Official source
- Western Kentucky University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.
The apparel deal
Nike, from July 2017. Multi-year extension signed in July 2026. Nike partner since July 2017. Extended in July 2026 with BSN Sports.
- WKU Athletics, Jul 27, 2026: Multi-year extension with Nike and BSN SPORTS; length not stated
- SGB Media, Jul 27, 2026: Extension with Nike and BSN SPORTS; athletes continue to wear Nike
- WKU Athletics, Apr 25, 2017: Five-year Nike deal starting July 1, 2017
Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.
Program strength since 1925
Best seasons everMore coverage
- Campbell hits 3 FGs as Western Kentucky defeats Sam Houston 16-3, ktbb.com,
- Wku Vs Sam Houston: Western Kentucky's running threat meets Sam Houston's unusual home return, el-balad.com,
- Western Kentucky vs. Sam Houston Oct. 14: TV, Stream, iheart.com,
- Ajay Allen rushes for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns as Western Kentucky beats Missouri State 34-13, winnipegfreepress.com,
- Ajay Allen rushes for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns as Western Kentucky beats Missouri State, ky3.com,
Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.
Head coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Tyson Helton | 2019–2026 | 60–40 |
 Mike Sanford Jr. | 2017–2018 | 9–16 |
| Nick Holt | 2016 | 1–0 |
 Jeff Brohm | 2014–2016 | 30–10 |
 Bobby Petrino | 2013 | 8–4 |
 Lance Guidry | 2012 | 0–1 |
 Willie Taggart | 2010–2012 | 16–20 |
| David Elson | 2007–2009 | 9–27 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- Middle Tennessee
12–6 in 18
- 2016 W 44–43
- 2017 W 41–38
- 2018 L 10–29
- 2019 W 31–26
- 2020 W 20–17
- 2021 W 48–21
- 2022 W 35–17
- 2023 W 31–10
- 2024 W 49–21
- 2025 W 42–26
Won the last seven.
Next: Nov 7
- Florida International
10–6 † in 17
- 2015 W 63–7
- 2016 W 49–21
- 2017 L 17–41
- 2018 L 17–38
- 2019 W 20–14
- 2020 W 38–21
- 2021 W 34–19
- 2022 W 73–0
- 2023 W 41–28
- 2025 L 6–25
Lost the last one.
- Florida Atlantic
5–9 in 14
- 2012 L 28–37
- 2014 L 38–45
- 2015 W 35–19
- 2016 W 52–3
- 2017 L 28–42
- 2018 L 15–34
- 2019 L 24–35
- 2020 L 6–10
- 2021 W 52–17
- 2022 W 32–31
Won the last two.
| Opponent | Games | WKU record |
|---|---|---|
| Middle Tennessee | 18 | 12–6 |
| Florida International | 17 | 10–6 † |
| Florida Atlantic | 14 | 5–9 |
| Louisville | 13 | 1–12 |
| North Texas | 9 | 4–5 |
| Troy | 9 | 2–7 |
| Louisiana Tech | 9 | 5–4 |
| Eastern Kentucky | 8 | 7–1 |
Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file. Each series page gives both.
Rivals the program names: Eastern Kentucky, Murray State.
Every opponent (89)
Every program Western Kentucky has played, A to Z, with Western Kentucky’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Alabama 0–4
- App State 2–1
- Arkansas 1–0
- Arkansas State 3–2
- Army 3–1
- Auburn 0–3
- Austin Peay 3–0
- Ball State 2–2
- Boston College 0–1
- Bowling Green 1–1
- BYU 0–1
- Central Arkansas 0–2
- Central Michigan 1–1
- Centre 1–1
- Charlotte 5–1
- Chattanooga 4–3
- Coast Guard 1–0
- Concord 1–0
- Dayton 2–0
- Delaware 1–0
- Eastern Kentucky 7–1
- Florida 0–1
- Florida Atlantic 5–9
- Florida International 10–6 †
- Georgia 0–2
- Georgia State 1–2
- Hawai’i 1–0
- Houston Christian 2–0
- Illinois 0–2
- Illinois State 5–1
- Indiana 0–6
- Indiana State 5–1
- Jacksonville State 1–3
- James Madison 0–1
- Kansas State 0–3
- Kennesaw State 1–0
- Kentucky 2–3
- Lamar 0–1
- Liberty 0–3
- Louisiana 2–4 †
- Louisiana Tech 5–4
- Louisville 1–12
- LSU 0–2 †
- Maine 0–1
- Marshall 4–4
- Memphis 1–0
- Mercyhurst 1–0
- Miami (OH) 2–0
- Michigan State 0–1
- Middle Tennessee 12–6
- Missouri State 6–0
- Morehead State 1–0
- Morgan State 1–0
- Murray State 1–0
- Navy 2–2
- Nebraska 0–1
- Nevada 1–1
- New Mexico State 2–2
- North Alabama 1–0
- North Carolina Central 1–0
- North Texas 4–5
- Northern Illinois 1–0
- Northern Iowa 2–2
- Ohio State 0–1
- Old Dominion 7–1
- Ole Miss 0–2
- Rice 4–0
- Sam Houston 4–1
- South Alabama 1–1
- South Florida 2–3
- Southern Illinois 1–3
- Southern Miss 5–0
- Tennessee 0–2
- Texas State 1–0
- Toledo 1–1
- Troy 2–7
- UAB 2–4
- UL Monroe 2–3
- Union College 1–0
- UT Martin 1–0
- UTEP 5–0
- UTSA 1–3
- Vanderbilt 1–5
- Virginia Tech 0–1
- Western Illinois 3–1
- Western Michigan 1–0
- Wisconsin 0–2
- WVU Tech 3–0
- Youngstown State 2–2
Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.
Conference titles
13, counting shared titles- Missouri Valley Football Conference 1
- 2002 (shared)
- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1
- 1932
As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1913–1916 and 1920–1925
- Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1942 and 1946–1947
- OVC 1948–1981
- Independent 1982–1998
- OVC 1999–2000
- MVFC 2001–2006
- Independent 2007–2008
- Sun Belt Conference 2009–2013
- Conference USA since 2014
- 1998Joined the OVC from independence in football. Source
- 2001Joined the MVFC from the OVC in football. Source
- 2009Joined the Sun Belt Conference from independence in football. Source
- 2014Joined Conference USA from the Sun Belt Conference. Source
Western Kentucky’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Consensus All-Americans 1
| 2025 | Cole Maynard P |
Led the nation 8
| 2022 | Austin Reed passing yards (4,746 yds) |
| 2021 | Bailey Zappe passing yards (5,967 yds), passing touchdowns (62 TD), total offense (5,984 yds), total offense per game (427.4) |
| 2021 | Jerreth Sterns receptions (150 catches), receiving yards (1,902 yds) |
| 2021 | Jordan Addison receiving touchdowns (17 TD) |
| 2016 | Anthony Wales rushing touchdowns (27 TD), points (174 pts) |
| 2016 | Kylen Towner kickoff return average (40.3) |
| 2015 | Brandon Doughty passing yards (5,055 yds), passing touchdowns (48 TD) |
| 2014 | Brandon Doughty passing yards (4,830 yds), passing touchdowns (49 TD) |
The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 21 since 1965
- First-round picks
- 0
Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.
The school
Western Kentucky University- Enrollment
- 16,291 14,151 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Bowling Green, Kentucky
- Public or private
- Public
- Founded
- 1906
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $43,889 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Official accounts
- Football
- X @WKUfootballInstagram @wkufootballFacebook wkufootball
- Athletics department
- X @WKUSportsInstagram @wkusports
Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones wkusports.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.
Media guides 66
194819491950195119521953195419551956195719581959196019611962196319641965196619671968196919701971197219731974197519761977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820142018201920212022
Western Kentucky’s football media guides, from Western Kentucky University library’s repository. Where our roster source has no full roster for a season, the roster page shows the guide’s printed one.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3–4 | 2–1 | Tyson Helton | 1474 | -13.0 | ||
| 2025 | 9–4 | 6–2 | Tyson Helton | 1524 | 1.6 | ||
| 2024 | 8–6 | 6–2 | Tyson Helton | 1522 | -2.2 | ||
| 2023 | 8–5 | 5–3 | Tyson Helton | 1545 | -2.0 | ||
| 2022 | 9–5 | 6–2 | Tyson Helton | 1586 | 1.7 | ||
| 2021 | 9–5 | 7–1 | Tyson Helton | 1638 | 13.3 | ||
| 2020 | 5–7 | 4–3 | Tyson Helton | 1471 | -3.2 | ||
| 2019 | 9–4 | 6–2 | Tyson Helton | 1559 | 1.7 | ||
| 2018 | 3–9 | 2–6 | Mike Sanford Jr. | 1403 | -16.1 | ||
| 2017 | 6–7 | 4–4 | Mike Sanford Jr. | 1462 | -4.9 | ||
| 2016 | 11–3 | 7–1 | Jeff Brohm, Nick Holt | 1713 | 15.5 | ||
| 2015 | 12–2 | 8–0 | 24 | Jeff Brohm | 1696 | 10.8 | |
| 2014 | 8–5 | 4–4 | Jeff Brohm | 1540 | -2.6 | ||
| 2013 | 8–4 | 4–3 | Bobby Petrino | 1514 | -3.1 | ||
| 2012 | 7–6 | 4–4 | Willie Taggart, Lance Guidry | 1457 | -4.7 | ||
| 2011 | 7–5 | 7–1 | Willie Taggart | 1435 | -16.1 | ||
| 2010 | 2–10 | 2–6 | Willie Taggart | 1238 | -27.6 | ||
| 2009 | 0–12 | 0–8 | David Elson | 1172 | -27.8 | ||
| 2008 | 2–10 | David Elson | 1255 | -22.1 | |||
| 2007 | 7–5 | David Elson | 1398 | -22.5 | |||
| 2006 | 6–5 | 1–0 | 1346 | ||||
| 2005 | 6–5 | 1–0 | 1358 | ||||
| 2004 | 9–3 | 1–0 | 1436 | ||||
| 2003 | 8–3 | 1–0 | 1426 | ||||
| 2002 | 0–1 | 1267 |
Every season back to 1925 (31 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0–1 | 1261 | |||||
| 2000 | 0–1 | 1248 | |||||
| 1998 | 0–2 | 1237 | |||||
| 1997 | 0–1 | 1264 | |||||
| 1996 | 0–1 | 1258 | |||||
| 1993 | 0–1 | 1269 | |||||
| 1992 | 0–1 | 1269 | |||||
| 1990 | 0–1 | 1264 | |||||
| 1989 | 0–1 | 1256 | |||||
| 1988 | 0–1 | 1253 | |||||
| 1986 | 0–1 | 1244 | |||||
| 1985 | 0–1 | 1258 | |||||
| 1984 | 0–1 | 1259 | |||||
| 1983 | 0–1 | 1267 | |||||
| 1982 | 0–1 | 1268 | |||||
| 1979 | 0–2 | 1265 | |||||
| 1978 | 1–1 | 1318 | |||||
| 1977 | 0–1 | 1299 | |||||
| 1976 | 1–0 | 1368 | |||||
| 1975 | 3–0 | 1384 | |||||
| 1974 | 1–0 | 1325 | |||||
| 1973 | 1–0 | 1304 | |||||
| 1972 | 0–1 | 1233 | |||||
| 1969 | 1–0 | 1214 | |||||
| 1963 | 1–0 | 1156 | |||||
| 1942 | 0–1 | 1107 | |||||
| 1938 | 0–1 | 1115 | |||||
| 1935 | 1–0 | 1125 | |||||
| 1932 | 0–1 | 1094 | |||||
| 1931 | 0–2 | 1093 | |||||
| 1925 | 0–1 | 1098 |
Officially 632–437–30 since 1908 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 172–162 (334 of its 1,099 games are on file). Our file starts in 1925; the program began in 1908. Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1926–30, 1933–34, 1936–37, 1939–41, 1943–62, 1964–68, 1970–71, 1980–81, 1987, 1991, 1994–95, 1999: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.