2023 Western Kentucky
8–5 (5–3 Conference USA), coached by Tyson Helton. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Houston Christian 52–22Sep 9
By 30 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Troy 24–27Sep 23
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs South Florida | W 41–24 | 83% |
| Sep 9 | vs Houston Christian | W 52–22 | 93% |
| Sep 16 | at 6Ohio State | L 10–63 | 25% |
| Sep 23 | at Troy | L 24–27 | 40% |
| Sep 28 | vs Middle Tennessee | W 31–10 | 69% |
| Oct 5 | at Louisiana Tech | W 35–28 | 64% |
| Oct 17 | at Jacksonville State | L 17–20 | 54% |
| Oct 24 | vs Liberty | L 29–42 | 47% |
| Nov 4 | at UTEP | W 21–13 | 68% |
| Nov 11 | vs New Mexico State | L 29–38 | 64% |
| Nov 18 | vs Sam Houston | W 28–23 | 82% |
| Nov 25 | at Florida International | W 41–28 | 74% |
| Dec 18Bowls & playoff | vs Old DominionFamous Toastery Bowl | W 38–35 | 62% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Old Dominion 38–35 in the Famous Toastery Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 4th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 6th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 56 on file).
- Record
- 8–5
- Conference
- 5–3 4th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 396–373
- Coach
- Tyson Helton
- Elo
- 1545 −13 this season
- SP+ rating
- -2.0 No. 74 of 133; offense No. 53, defense No. 91, special teams No. 88
- SRS
- −3.4 No. 79 of 133 in FBS
- Returning
- 64% of last season’s EPA, No. 40 of 131
- Recruiting class
- No. 134 roster talent No. 89 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Drew Hollingshead
- Defensive coordinator
- Tyson Summers
- Offense
- Air raid
- Defense
- 3–3–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.10 | 39% | 1.37 | 65th of 133 |
| Defense | 0.13 | 43% | 1.25 | 80th of 133 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.11 off 0.15 def | 40% off 44% def | — | 61st off 93rd def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 5.0 | own 28 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 4.0 | own 29 | 14% caused |
CORE rating -9.1, 98th of 133 (offense -1.2, defense 7.9).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Austin Reed QB | 3,324 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Austin Reed QB | 31 TD |
| Rushing yards | Elijah Young RB | 490 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Austin Reed QB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Malachi Corley WR | 984 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Malachi Corley WR | 11 TD |
| Tackles | Kendrick Simpkins S | 50 tkl |
| Sacks | Kendrick Simpkins S | 8 sacks |
| Interceptions | Anthony Johnson Jr. DB | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Koron Hayward WR | ★★★ | No. 1760 |
| Nazir Ward CB | ★★★ | No. 1772 |
| Jalen Hand DL | ||
| Noah Meyers TE | ||
| Tylon Webb ATH |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receivers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
| Whole class | 2 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2024
The 2024 draft| Rd 3 | Malachi Corley WR | New York Jets |
Roster 114
The 2023 roster114 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 65 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 10
The 2023 portal L’Christian Smith WR | ★★★★ | from  Cincinnati |
 Ze’Vian Capers WR | ★★★★ | from  Auburn |
 Daniel Edwards Jr. CB | ★★★ | from  Illinois |
 Jimmy Holiday WR | ★★★ | from  Tennessee |
 Marquis Black DL | ★★★ | from  Nebraska |
 Nonte Davis WDE | ★★★ | from  UT Martin |
 Ryan Williams DL | ★★★ | from  Colorado |
 Wilile Taggart Jr. ATH | ★★★ | from  Florida Atlantic |
 Bronson Barron QB | ★★ | from  Weber State |
 Trevor Borland TE | ★★ | from  Buffalo |
Transfers out 18
 Gunner Britton OT | ★★★★ | to Auburn |
| Joshua Simon TE | ★★★★ | to  South Carolina |
| Kye Robichaux RB | ★★★ | to  Boston College |
| Rusty Staats OT | ★★★ | to  Texas Tech |
| Arthur Brathwaite S | ★★★ | to  Arkansas |
| David Ndukwe OL | ★★★ | to  Houston |
| Joey Beljan TE | ★★★ | to Cincinnati |
| Craig Burt Jr. WR | ★★★ | returned to  Western Kentucky |
| Jakairi Moses RB | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Barry Wagner Jr. WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Brayden Narveson K | ★★★ | to  NC State |
| Dante Walker DE | ★★★ | no new school on file |
And 6 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2023 Conference USA standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 8–0 | 13–1 | 25 |
| New Mexico State | 7–1 | 10–5 | |
| Jacksonville State | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
| Western Kentucky | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| Middle Tennessee | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| UTEP | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Sam Houston | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Florida International | 1–7 | 4–8 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.