Western Kentucky University Football

For media inquiries, please contact Jared MacDonald at jared.macdonald@wku.edu. Tyson Helton was named Western Kentucky University’s 21st head football coach...

Andy LaRussa joined the WKU Football coaching staff in December 2018 and currently serves as the team's Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator. The 2025 season will be his seventh with the Hilltoppers. LaRussa has coached several of the top special teams players in Conference USA since joining the program, including WKU's first CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year, Lucas Carneiro, who claimed the award in 2024 after going 18-for-19 on field goals with 18 straight makes. The 18 made field goals are the longest streak in program history, and included an impressive six-for-six on field goals of 50-plus yards. There were two makes of 54 yards, which were tied for the second-longest makes in program history, and a game-winning kick against Jax State in the regular-season finale that sent the Hilltoppers to the CUSA Championship Game. Carneiro became the only CUSA kicker to go 6-for-6 from 50-plus yards in a season since 1996, while only four others have gone at least 3-for-3. Carneiro finished the 2024 season fourth in the league in scoring, second in the league in scoring by a kicker, second in the league in field goals made and first in the league in field goal percentage. He was named CUSA's Special Teams Player of the Week three times, he was a First Team All-CUSA selection and he was the only kicker in the league that was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. In 2024, LaRussa also oversaw long snapper Rex Robich, who was a Second Team All-CUSA selection, and

Ashley Terhune was hired as the Director of Recruiting Operations in the spring of 2026, after previously working as a Student-Athlete Development and Name, Image and Likeness Graduate Assistant at WKU from 2023-24. After her work as a Graduate Assistant at WKU, Terhune served as the Associate Director of On-Campus Recruiting and Operations at Michigan. The Wolverines won eight games during the 2024 season, including a victory over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, and nine games in 2025 with an appearance in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Prior to her time at WKU as a Graduate Assistant, Terhune worked as a Recruiting and Operations Intern and a Student Manager at Purdue from 2017-23. She also spent time as a Ticket Sales Intern in Purdue's athletic department during that time. She graduated from Purdue with a degree in Economics in 2020.

Bodie Reeder joined the WKU staff in the spring of 2026 as the Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach. Reeder most recently served as the Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach at Middle Tennessee for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and has also served in that role at the Division I level at Northern Iowa from 2022-23, at Utah State in 2020, at North Texas in 2019 and at Eastern Washington from 2017-18, producing some of the top offenses in the country. He has also worked as an Offensive Analyst/Interim Quarterbacks Coach at Auburn in 2021, in an Offensive Quality Control/Assistant Quarterbacks Coach role at Oklahoma State from 2014-16 and as the Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach at Wisconsin-Stout from 2011-13. He started his coaching career as a Defensive Graduate Assistant at Eastern Illinois in 2010. Reeder coached a Middle Tennessee offense that finished second in CUSA both years in passing offense, behind only WKU. In 2025, the Blue Raiders averaged 266.1 yards per game through the air, and quarterback Nicholas Vattiato led the conference in completions per game with 24.22, as well as passing yards per game with 238.9 under Reeder. Reeder's team averaged 261.1 passing yards per game in 2024, and he again coached Vattiato to the top of the league in completions and passing yards per game with 22.42 and 257.7, respectively. Vattiato finished his career as the second player in Middle Tennessee history to record multiple 3,000-yard passing seasons. Reeder coached an o

Brenna Wethington joined the WKU Football staff as a Graduate Assistant in Academic Advising prior to the 2024 season. The 2025 season will be her second wit...

WKU Football announced the hiring of Bryan Applewhite as the team's Running Backs Coach in February 2024. Applewhite brings over 20 years of coaching experience to the Hilltoppers, including stops at several FBS programs. He spent the 2023 season as the Running Backs Coach at Buffalo, where he coached Third Team All-MAC selection Ron Cook Jr. Applewhite spent one season as the Running Backs Coach at Nebraska in 2022, and during that season he coached Anthony Grant, who rushed for 915 yards – the highest total by a Husker since 2018. He spent the two seasons before that at TCU as the Running Backs Coach and helped the Horned Frogs rank in the top 30 nationally in rushing both seasons. TCU was the Big 12 rushing champion in 2020, averaging 214.7 rushing yards per game to rank 20th nationally. The Horned Frogs then finished 30th in the country in 2021 at 196.3 rushing yards per game. In 2020, TCU had three running backs top 100 yards in a single game, with true freshmen Zach Evans (7.7 ypc) and Kendre Miller (7.2 ypc), posting the second- and fifth-best yards per carry averages in Horned Frogs history, respectively. Applewhite spent five seasons as the Running Backs Coach at Colorado State from 2015 to 2019. He also took on the added responsibility as the Rams' Recruiting Coordinator in 2018 and 2019. In his time at CSU, the Rams posted two of their top five season marks in total offense and points per game. Colorado State reached three bowl games in five seasons while Applewhit

Carson Burgess joined the WKU Football coaching staff in the spring of 2025. He currently serves in a Quality Control – Wide Receivers role. Burgess comes to...

Charlie Weinberg joined the WKU Football staff as the Director of Football Equipment Operations in the spring of 2025. Weinberg came to The Hill after a year...

The 2025 season will mark the fifth season for Chase Bitowf as WKU Football's Video Coordinator. In his role at WKU, Bitowf oversees the day-to-day technology aspects of the football program. His duties include supervising a staff of 8-10 students, providing tech support for players and coaches, coordinating the filming of practices and games for coaches' analysis and directing the production of motivational and highlight films. In his time on The Hill, Bitowf has been a part of four consecutive bowl games, winning three, and two CUSA Championship game appearances. Additionally, he is a WKU alum, having completed his Masters Degree in Sports Administration in fall of 2023. Bitowf was named the 2024-25 CUSA Video Coordinator of the Year by the Collegiate Sports Video Association. Prior to his arrival at WKU, Bitowf spent three seasons as the Director of Football Video at South Alabama. In his role with the Jaguars, Bitowf was responsible for coordinating the filming and breakdown of practices and games for coaches' analysis, directing the production of motivational, promotional, and recruiting highlights, and overseeing the exchange of video with opponents. While at USA, he was named 2020 Sun Belt Conference Video Coordinator of the Year by the Colligate Sports Video Association. Additionally, he guided his department to two CSVA Savvy Award nominations, first in 2018 for Highlight of the Year, and again in 2019 for Short Social of the Year. He also served as the Sun Belt Repr

WKU Football announced the hiring of Chase Lane as the program's Director of Scouting in the spring of 2026. Lane joined the Hilltoppers after serving as the Director of Recruiting for Georgia Tech's Football NIL Collective. In that role, he planned visits and hosted prospective student-athletes, while also assisting in transfer portal strategy. Lane played football at Texas A&M from 2019-22 and graduated with an undergraduate degree in Communications. In 25 games over his final three seasons with the Aggies, he caught 48 passes for 617 yards and two touchdowns, and helped his team win the Orange Bowl during the 2020 season. He also played at Georgia Tech from 2023-24, where he appeared in 20 games and caught 30 passes for 376 yards and four touchdowns. He earned a graduate degree in Sports Management from Texas A&M. Lane was a founding member of the first Black student-athlete-led organization at Texas A&M, called B.L.U.E.print – Black Leaders Who Undertake Excellence. He was also named a Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellow for the New York Giants in 2025, and received a rookie minicamp invitation from the organization the same year. Lane is a native of Houston.

Danielle Kucharski joined the WKU Football staff as the Assistant Video Coordinator in the spring of 2025 after working with the WKU Football video staff as ...

Darius Holland joined the WKU Football staff in the spring of 2023 as an Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning. The 2025 season will be his third w...

David Metcalf was hired by WKU in the spring of 2026 as Safeties Coach. The 2026 season will be his first on The Hill. Metcalf comes to WKU from Georgia, where he worked in an Assistant Quality Control – Defense role, assisting with the team's safeties. He helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back College Football Playoff berths the last two seasons. In 2024, Georgia went 11-3 and fell to eventual national runner-up Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and in 2025 the Bulldogs went 12-2 with an SEC title and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl. Metcalf coached on a defense in 2025 that finished 10th nationally in scoring, allowing just 17.6 points per game, and 14th in total defense with 298 yards allowed per game. The Bulldogs ranked in the top 40 nationally in team passing efficiency defense and third down defense, and fourth nationally in rushing defense. In 2024, Metcalf helped coach a defense that was strong in the fourth quarter, holding opponents to a total of 60 points. The Bulldogs held then-No. 14 Clemson to just three points in the first game of the season, and also took down then-No. 1 Texas 30-15 in Austin. Junior safety Malaki Starks was a Thorpe Award finalist and earned First Team All-America honors for the second season in a row in 2024, while true freshman safety KJ Bolden was a Freshman All-American and a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year Award. Fifth-year safety Dan Jackson received All-Southeastern Conference Third Team honors thanks

Dayton LeBlanc was hired in the spring of 2026 as Defensive Tackles Coach. The 2026 season will be his first on The Hill. LeBlanc joins the Hilltoppers after spending one season at Eastern Kentucky, where he served as Defensive Line Coach. He helped coach a Colonels defense that ranked tied for first nationally and first in the UAC in defensive touchdowns with five during the 2025 season. EKU was in the top three in its league in passing yards allowed, rushing defense, red zone defense, team passing efficiency defense, turnovers gained, total defense and scoring defense. EKU's 24.3 points allowed per game were second-best in the UAC. Prior to the 2025 season at EKU, LeBlanc was at Georgia as an Assistant Defensive Line Coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons under Head Coach Kirby Smart. With the Bulldogs, he helped in the development of All-SEC sections Nazir Stackhouse and Mykell Williams, and helped the program to a Capital One Orange Bowl victory in 2023 and an SEC Championship. In the 2023 season, the Bulldogs had the top defense in the SEC and ninth-best in all of FBS for total defense, allowing only 289.1 yards per game, and 15.6 points per game, the fifth-best mark in the country. On the ground that season, UGA allowed only 113.6 yards per game – the 18th-best figure in the FBS. Before Georgia, LeBlanc served as a Defensive Line Student Assistant at North Texas in 2022, helping the Mean Green to a 7-7 record and appearances in the CUSA Championship game and the Frisco Bow

Dean Shaffer returned to WKU in the spring of 2025 in a Quality Control – Defensive Backs role on the Hilltopper Football coaching staff. Shaffer makes his way back to The Hill after spending the 2024 season at Hawaii and the 2023 season at Murray State, both in Graduate Assistant positions. He is a WKU graduate, earning his degree in Sports Management in 2023. While in Bowling Green, Shaffer served as a Student Assistant with the WKU Football program. He helped coach a defense that led the nation in takeaways with 32 and defensive touchdowns with six during the 2022 season. Three members of the WKU secondary earned postseason Conference USA honors that season. Shaffer is a native of Lilburn, Georgia.

Devon Lynch joined the WKU Football staff in the spring of 2025. He currently serves in a Quality Control – Football Strength & Conditioning role. Lynch play...

Imari Hazelwood begins her seventh season with WKU Football as the Coordinator of Academic Development in 2025, a role she assumed in January 2019. In this r...

Jason Barnes as Wide Receivers Coach in January 2025. The 2025 season will be his first with the Hilltoppers. Barnes joined the WKU coaching staff after spending two seasons at Charlotte, where he served as Wide Receivers Coach in 2024 and as an Offensive Analyst in 2023. He has also had stops at Coastal Carolina as an Offensive Analyst, at Bridgewater College as Wide Receivers Coach and at Georgia Military College as Wide Receivers Coach during his career. Barnes began his coaching career at Dutch Fork High School in South Carolina, where he spent six seasons. Barnes played wide receiver at South Carolina from 2007-11, where he appeared in 51 games over the course of his career. Following his time in Columbia, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native played professionally with the San Diego Chargers and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Barnes and his wife, Nicole, are the proud parents of two children: Jada and Jace.

Jason Veltkamp enters his eighth season as the WKU Football Director of Strength and Conditioning in 2025. He was hired to the position in Spring 2018. Since...

WKU Football announced the hiring of Jimmy Lindsey as the Run Game Coordinator/Edges/Defensive Line Coach in February 2025. Lindsey previously served on the ...

Joe Bernardi was promoted to WKU's Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach in the spring of 2026, after working as WKU's Offensive Line Coach for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The 2026 season will be his third on The Hill. In 2025, Bernardi helped produce the top scoring offense in CUSA at 29.5 points per game. The Hilltoppers ranked third in the league in sacks allowed and were first in passing at 272.2 yards per game, despite replacing four starters along the offensive line from the 2024 season. Left guard Laurence Seymore was named Football Writers Association of America All-America Second Team following the season, while Seymore and left tackle Marshall Jackson represented WKU's offensive line on the All-CUSA teams and Elijah Williams was named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team. In 2024, during his first season with the program, Bernardi helped the Hilltoppers to an 8-6 record and berths in the Conference USA Championship Game and the Boca Raton Bowl. He coached four offensive linemen that finished with All-Conference USA recognition. Earning All-CUSA Second Team Offense honors were right tackle Marshall Jackson and left guard Quantavious Leslie, while left tackle Travon Taylor and center Evan Wibberley were voted All-CUSA Honorable Mention. Bernardi's 2024 offensive line helped protect CUSA Offensive Player of the Year Caden Veltkamp, and the Hilltopper offense finished first in the league and 25th nationally in passing. Bernardi made the move to WKU in 2024 after stops a

Justin Brown joined the WKU Football staff in March of 2022 as the Director of Player Engagement. The 2025 season will mark his fourth season with the Hillto...

KaRon White joined the WKU Football coaching staff in the spring of 2025 as a Graduate Assistant. White is responsible for working with the team's defensive line. White made his way to The Hill after a playing career at Appalachian State, where he also started his career as a Student Assistant during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He graduated from Appalachian State in December 2024 with a degree in Health and Physical Education. He spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as a member of the Appalachian State Football program as a defensive lineman. In 2022 as a redshirt freshman, he appeared in 11 of the team's 12 games with a start against Old Dominion in the team's home finale. He had 10 tackles and was credited with seven quarterback pressures. He appeared in four games and redshirted as a true freshman in 2021. White is a native of Harvest, Alabama, and prepped at Sparkman High School. There, he was a four-year varsity standout, totaling 256 tackles, 43 tackles for loss, 19 sacks, 50 quarterback hurries and a pair of fumble recoveries in 34 games. He was rated a three-star prospect, and appeared in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.

Kylee Jackson enters her second season as the Nutrition Graduate Assistant on the WKU Football staff in 2025. In her role, Jackson works closely with the str...

Pulford enters his eighth season overall at WKU in 2025 and his fourth as a Quality Control – Special Teams coach. Working alongside Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Andy LaRussa, Pulford has helped coach some of the top special teams units in CUSA and nationally since joining the staff. That group includes WKU's first CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year, Lucas Carneiro, who claimed the award in 2024 after going 17-for-18 on field goals with 17 straight makes. The 17 made field goals are the longest streak in program history, and included an impressive six-for-six on field goals of 50-plus yards. There were two makes of 54 yards, which were tied for the second-longest makes in program history, and a game-winning kick against Jax State in the regular-season finale that sent the Hilltoppers to the CUSA Championship Game. Carneiro became the only CUSA kicker to go 6-for-6 from 50-plus yards in a season since 1996, while only four others have gone at least 3-for-3. Carneiro finished the 2024 season fourth in the league in scoring, second in the league in scoring by a kicker, second in the league in field goals made and first in the league in field goal percentage. He was named CUSA's Special Teams Player of the Week three times, he was a First Team All-CUSA selection and he was the only kicker in the league that was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. In 2024, Pulford also coached long snapper Rex Robich, who was a Second Team All-CUSA selection, and pun

Michael Klemm arrived at WKU in July 2023. The 2025 WKU Football season will be his third with the program and his second as the team's Assistant Director of Football Equipment Operations. In his role, Klemm helps oversee all day-to-day operations; assists in ordering equipment, issuing equipment and management of budgets; assists in organizations and overseeing practice and practice set-up; and assists in managing groups of student assistants and interns. Klemm originally joined WKU as the Graduate Assistant – Olympic Sports Equipment in July 2023. He was promoted to his current position prior to the 2024 WKU Football season. He helped design and organize the announcement for several WKU Football uniform combinations, including the viral Big Red-inspired uniforms during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The 2023 uniform featured position-specific Big Red logos worn on helmets based on positions, and the 2024 Big Red-inspired uniform featured an all-red jersey combination with Big Red's eyes on the helmet. Klemm is a native of Washington, Missouri. He graduated from Central Missouri in 2022 with a degree in Sport Management. There he worked as a Student Equipment Manager for three seasons.

Ryne Strickland joined the WKU Football coaching staff in the spring of 2025. He currently serves in a Quality Control – Offensive Line role with the Hilltop...

Spencer Field joined the WKU Football staff in the spring of 2025 as the Assistant Director of Football Strength & Conditioning. Field joins the program afte...

Staymon Johnson joined the WKU Football staff prior to the 2024 season. The 2025 season will be his second season with the Hilltoppers. Johnson is a Graduate...

Terrion Thompson joined the WKU Football coaching staff in the spring of 2025. He currently serves in a Quality Control – Defensive Line role with the Hillto...

Trevor Borland joined the WKU Football coaching staff for the 2025 season following a two-year playing career with the Hilltoppers. He currently serves in a ...

Zach Kramme was promoted to General Manager/Director of Player Personnel in the spring of 2026, after serving as WKU's Director of Scouting previously. He originally joined the WKU Football staff in March 2022. Kramme has been instrumental in WKU's recruiting efforts since his arrival on The Hill, and has been a part of five Hilltoppers drafted by NFL teams since his arrival. DeAngelo Malone was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2022 Draft and Bailey Zappe was picked in the fourth round that year by the New England Patriots, while Brodric Martin was taken by the Detroit Lions in the third round in 2023, Malachi Corley was picked by the New York Jets in the third round in 2024 and Upton Stout was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. WKU is the only non-Power Conference program to have a player selected within the first three rounds in each of the last four NFL Drafts. Prior to his arrival at WKU, Kramme served as the Director of Recruiting for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program. While there, he served as the Pro Liaison and oversaw the execution of the team's Pro day. He also orchestrated the signing of the top recruiting class in the SOCON for the 2020 season, which included a school-record seven three-star prospects. Kramme graduated from Georgia Southern in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Sport Management. While he was a student at Georgia Southern, Kramme worked as a Recruiting Assis