2025 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 2025 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team will represent Western Kentucky University as a member of Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers are expected to be led by Tyson Helton in his seventh year as the head coach. The Hilltoppers play home games at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

2025 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
Conference	Conference USA
Record	0–0 (0–0 C-USA)
Head coach	Tyson Helton (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Rick Bowie (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Da'Von Brown (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Davis Merritt (1st season)
Home stadium	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
Seasons ← 2024 2026 →

2025 Conference USA football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Delaware		0	–	0					0	–	0
FIU		0	–	0					0	–	0
Jacksonville State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Kennesaw State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Liberty		0	–	0					0	–	0
Louisiana Tech		0	–	0					0	–	0
Middle Tennessee		0	–	0					0	–	0
Missouri State		0	–	0					0	–	0
New Mexico State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Sam Houston		0	–	0					0	–	0
UTEP		0	–	0					0	–	0
Western Kentucky		0	–	0					0	–	0
Championship: December 5, 2025

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Darrell Johnson Jr.	OL	Akron
Dallas Walker IV	DL	Auburn
Jaylen Hampton	WR	Charlotte
Ki'Shawn Harvey	DL	East Tennessee State
Wesley Horton	DL	East Tennessee State
Easton Messer	WR	Florida Atlantic
Caden Veltkamp	QB	Florida Atlantic
Deante McCray	DE	Florida State
Elvin Fofanah	TE	Gardner–Webb
River Helms	TE	Georgia Southern
Turner Helton	QB	Georgia Southern
Hosea Wheeler	DL	Indiana
Alex Ford	DB	Kennesaw State
Marcus Patterson	DE	Kennesaw State
Evan Wibberley	OL	Kentucky
Darius Thomas	LB	Louisville
Jalil Rivera-Harvey	DL	Marshall
Reid Jamerson	DE	Minot State
LT Sanders	RB	North Alabama
Jaymar Mundy	DB	Ohio
Lucas Carneiro	K	Ole Miss
Leavy Johnson	OL	South Alabama
Rodney Newsom Jr.	OL	South Carolina
T. J. Finley	QB	Tulane
Koy Moore	WR	UNLV
Mike Moment	OL	UT Martin
Demick Starling	WR	Utah State
Jayden Loving	DL	Wake Forest
Dave Herard	DB	Unknown
Jarvis Hayes	WR	Unknown
Ely George	LB	Unknown
Bryce Childress	WR	Unknown
Marshall Jackson	OL	Withdrawn
Moussa Berry	WR	Withdrawn
Kylan Guidry	DL	Withdrawn
Demarko Williams	S	Withdrawn

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous school
Maverick McIvor	QB	Abilene Christian
Laurance Seymore	OL	Akron
Jakeem Fletcher	DL	Alabama State
La'Vell Wright	RB	Austin Peay
Kody Epps	WR	BYU
Jemeil Jackson	OT	Central Michigan
Jaavan Mack	CB	Charlotte
Jairus Mack	WR	Charlotte
Montreze Smith	LB	Duke
Jackson West	TE	Florida State
Weston Wallace	OT	Georgia Southern
Jalen Emery	DB	Houston
Venson Sneed Jr.	DE	Indiana
Justin Wolf	TE	Kansas State
Elijah Williams	IOL	Kent State
Devon Smith	OT	Louisiana–Monroe
Jayden Gray	DE	Louisiana Tech
Mackavelli Malotumau	DL	Nevada
Eric Etienne	DL	Norfolk State
Kelby Williams	WR	Old Dominion
Dominic Oliver	DE	San Diego State
Braxton Myers	S	Southern Miss
Rylen Su'a-Filo	DL	Southern Utah
Jaylen Lewis	CB	Temple
Brandon Buckhaulter	WR	UAB
John Cannon	K	USF
Matthew Henry	WR	Western Illinois

^[1][2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
August 23	Sam Houston	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY
August 30	North Alabama*	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY
September 6	at Toledo*	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH
September 20	Nevada*	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY
September 27	at Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium Springfield, MO
October 3	at Delaware	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE
October 14	FIU	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY
October 21	at Louisiana Tech	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA
November 1	New Mexico State	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY
November 15	Middle Tennessee	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (100 Miles of Hate)
November 22	at LSU*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA
November 29	at Jacksonville State	AmFirst Stadium Jacksonville, AL
*Non-conference game

^[3]

Game summaries

vs. Sam Houston

See also: 2025 Sam Houston Bearkats football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game One – Sam Houston Bearkats (0-0) at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) – Game summary

at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY

• Date: Saturday August 23, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	SHSU	WKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. (FCS) North Alabama

See also: 2025 North Alabama Lions football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
(FCS) Lions	0	0	0	0	0
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Two – (FCS) North Alabama Lions (0-0) at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) – Game summary

at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY

• Date: Saturday August 30, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	UNA	WKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Toledo

See also: 2025 Toledo Rockets football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0
Rockets	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Three – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) at Toledo Rockets (0-0) – Game summary

at Glass Bowl • Toledo, OH

• Date: Saturday September 6, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	WKU	TOL
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Toledo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Nevada

See also: 2025 Nevada Wolf Pack football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolf Pack	0	0	0	0	0
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Four – Nevada Wolf Pack (0-0) at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) – Game summary

at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY

• Date: Saturday September 20, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	NEV	WKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nevada	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Missouri State

See also: 2025 Missouri State Bears football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0
Bears	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Five – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) at Missouri State Bears (0-0) – Game summary

at Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO

• Date: Saturday September 27, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	WKU	MOST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Missouri State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Delaware

See also: 2025 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0
Fightin' Blue Hens	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Six – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) at Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (0-0) – Game summary

at Delaware Stadium • Newark, DE

• Date: Friday October 3, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	WKU	DEL
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Delaware	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. FIU

See also: 2025 FIU Panthers football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Seven – FIU Panthers (0-0) at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) – Game summary

at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY

• Date: Tuesday October 14, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	FIU	WKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
FIU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Louisiana Tech

See also: 2025 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Eight – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (0-0) – Game summary

at Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA

• Date: Tuesday October 21, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	WKU	LT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Louisiana Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. New Mexico State

See also: 2025 New Mexico State Aggies football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	0	0	0	0	0
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Nine – New Mexico State Aggies (0-0) at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) – Game summary

at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY

• Date: Saturday November 1, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	NMSU	WKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
New Mexico State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Middle Tennessee

See also: 2025 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team and 100 Miles of Hate

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Raiders	0	0	0	0	0
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Ten – Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (0-0) at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) – Game summary

at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY

• Date: Saturday November 15, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	MTSU	WKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Middle Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at LSU

See also: 2025 LSU Tigers football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0
Tigers	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Eleven – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) at LSU Tigers (0-0) – Game summary

at Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA

• Date: Saturday November 22, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	WKU	LSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
LSU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Jacksonville State

See also: 2025 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0
Gamecocks	0	0	0	0	0

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Game Twelve – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0) at Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0-0) – Game summary

at AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, AL

• Date: Saturday November 29, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Statistics	WKU	JSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving