Jim Mashek

HILLTOPPERS WILL OPEN 2026 SEASON WITH THREE ROAD GAMES

The sun was bright and the hitting was crisp as Western Kentucky University’s football team held its “Spring Showcase” on Saturday afternoon at WKU’s Houchens-Smith Stadium.

There was plenty of enthusiasm and the players all seemed to be wearing smiles when the controlled scrimmage came to a close, with limited kicking game plays and all quarterbacks OFF LIMITS from contact. Not only that, all the players, besides the quarterbacks, were wearing padded headgear outside their helmets.

Safety first.

Eighth-year WKU head coach Tyson Helton implemented a unique offense-vs.-defense scoring system, with player health and evaluation purposes coming before EVERYTHING else, with the defense being awarded points for defensive stops (one point), three-and-outs (three points) and ‘touch sacks’ (three points).

The WKU offense held the upper hand for nearly the entire affair, but the Hilltoppers’ defense made up steady ground before closing the scrimmage with a simple stop to tie things at 33 points each.

It was a spirited environment, to be sure, as the print media was allowed on the field at the showcase’s conclusion, and the Hilltoppers held a spring banquet and an awards ceremony for Saturday’s breakfast.

There were plenty of new faces in red, black and white, and after Helton met with the media, two players from WKU’s offense and defenses fielded questions inside the Avenue of Champions end zone.

“We changed the points system to make it exciting,” Helton said with a grin.

Predictably, there were two schools of thought amongst the WKU players. Hilltoppers wide receiver Cameron Flowers seemed to suggest he smelled a rat, and his WKU counterpart, colorful Hilltoppers defensive back Jalen Lewis, insisted everything was on the up-and-up.

That’s spring football for ya.

“I don’t know how it ended that way,” Flowers said.

Lewis seemed pleased that the defense started making some plays of its own, down the stretch.

“We started off a little slow, but we picked it up, after a while,” Lewis said. “Once the energy kicks in, you saw the results …”

WKU coach Tyson Helton seemed to be looking for an extra motivation, and with more than half of Hilltoppers roster being first-year WKU players, it seemed to serve its purpose. The Hilltoppers return starting quarterback Rodney Tisdale, Jr., a rising sophomore, but he split time at the position with two other underclassmen, true freshman Cam O’Hara and redshirt sophomore Caleb McMickle, while the WKU coaches got a look at new faces up front, as well as in the backfield and on the flanks.

Still, as the aforementioned Jaylen Lewis put it, the Hilltoppers have established a winning culture under Helton. Western Kentucky closed a 9-4 season two days before Christmas, with senior quarterback Maverick McIvor replacing an injured Tisdale to lead the Tops to an inspired 26-17 victory over Southern Miss in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

Helton likes what he’s seen from the Hilltoppers as they move into summer conditioning drills.

“We had a fourth-and-long, in the red zone, and I said, ‘Defense, this is three points to tie,'” Helton said with a smile. “It was good. Good spring, overall. We’re halfway there, as far as training. We’ve got summer training now, and then we’ve got fall camp.

“We’ve got a long way to go, but I’m pleased with where we’re at right now.”

Western Kentucky is looking at an unusual 2026 schedule, in part because of the tug-of-war between Louisiana Tech and Conference USA. Louisiana Tech is on its way to the Sun Belt Conference, and technically, the school is still a member of Conference USA for the 2026-27 academic year.

Western Kentucky will open the season against Nevada, in Reno, before road trips to two Power Four schools, longtime SEC powerhouse Georgia and Indiana, the defending national champion. The Hilltoppers will play their first home game on September 26, against Mercyhurst University, an FCS newcomer located in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Helton’s Hilltoppers squads have gone 5-2 in bowl games, in his tenure, along with making two appearances in the Conference USA championship game. The Tops also have several new members in their coaching staff, with Bodie Reeder replacing Rick Bowie as the team’s offensive coordinator.

“Winning helps, a lot,” Helton said. “It’s everybody. This university, this community. When you have a recognizable brand, its help your recruiting.”