Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Roster 2019 Hilltoppers Roster

Head Coach: Mike Sanford Jr.        2017 Salary: $800,000        Offensive Coordinator: Junior Adams       Defensive Coordinator: Clayton White         

Stadium: Houchens Industries - L.T. Smith Stadium Stadium       Surface: Turf        City: Bowling Green        State: Kentucky

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are not used to experiencing losing seasons. 2017's 6-7 record was the first losing campaign in seven years. 2018 will tell if the Hilltoppers can simply reload or will have to rebuild the program. The weight of the evidence makes it seem that the latter may be more of the case.

Offense was where the Hilltoppers really regressed last season. The winning Western Kentucky teams were all known for their offensive prowess. In 2017, the Hilltoppers' offensive efficiency plummeted. Even worse, Western Kentucky will have to replace quarterback Mike White. Drew Eckels is the favorite to start at quarterback and he has the potential to be a dual threat weapon. Western Kentucky struggled badly running the ball last season and will look to Joshua Samuel to revitalize the running game. However, he will be running behind an inexperienced offensive line.

Western Kentucky failed to get any meaningful pressure on the quarterback last season. The defense faded down the stretch as a result of opposing quarterbacks' having plenty of time to throw. Even worse, the Hilltoppers have large losses in their front seven to replace. Still, Western Kentucky has a strong secondary returning this year.

The Hilltoppers have too many question marks on both sides of the ball to expect a return to the halcyon days of the program. The early season schedule is difficult and will be a tough challenge for a new quarterback. One more bad season may have second-year coach Mike Sanford on the ropes.