High-octane Toppers will again be a fun watch

Apr. 25—Tim Caboni, the always fashionably dressed president of Western Kentucky University, shuffled along the home sideline in a pair of red canvas Chuck Taylor Converse at Houchens/Smith Stadium in the latter stages of the Hilltoppers' annual Red-White Spring Game on Saturday afternoon.

"What do you think?" Caboni asked concernedly, as he approached a veteran sports reporter.

"Business as usual," the reporter responded instantly, with a wink. "They'll never miss a beat."

Caboni flashed a knowing smile, and walked on with a spring in his step — as many WKU football fans are destined to do this fall.

Saturday's event, an ultra controlled scrimmage with precious little contact designed to showcase skill and thrill over will and spill, nonetheless revealed that WKU will once again be difficult to outflank in 2023.

Not only do the ever-explosive Hilltoppers' return last fall's national passing leader, rifle-armed Austin Reed (4,744 yards, 40 touchdowns), they feature four other quarterbacks who would be starters at various programs around the country. No joke.

The group includes two WKU legacies, Turner Helton, nephew of head coach Tyson Helton, and Willie Taggart Jr., son of former star quarterback and head coach, Willie Taggart. The QB room also features a local hero in former South Warren High School star Caden Veltkamp, who may very well end up as Reed's backup.

"We have a great situation in our quarterback room," Tyson Helton said. "Austin is clearly one of the top returning quarterbacks in the nation, and we've got a lot of quarterback talent right behind him, which will push him to be even better, to be as sharp as he can be for us. Austin's presence, of course, will make them better, too."

So, then, Saturday's scrimmage revealed that throwing the football will be no problem for Western, which also will have no trouble catching it.

The Hilltoppers return one of the best trio of wide receivers in America, led by Malachi Corley (5-10, 210, soph.), who, like Reed, is considered a top-level NFL prospect. In 2023, the Orange City, Florida native caught 101 passes for 1,293 yards and 11 touchdowns — leading the entire nation in receiving yards after contact.

Then, there's speed merchant Michael Mathison, who made 52 receptions for 615 yards and three touchdowns last fall, along with deep threat Dalvin Smith, the former Glasgow High School star, who snared 35 aerials for 443 yards and four touchdowns.

At tight end — where Western has produced renowned NFL players such as Tyler Higbee, Jack Doyle and Deon Yelder — red-shirt freshman River Helms (6-4, 235) looks rock-solid as both a blocker and pass-catcher in the early going.

"It's obvious," Helton said, assessing the overall offensive attack, "that the big-play capability is there."

Helton likes to describe his backfield as "running back by committee," but conceded that he hopes a feature back will emerge from an otherwise deep and balanced group.

One such possibility is Elijah Young, a quick, speed, hard-nosed junior transfer from Missouri who, on Saturday, exhibited flashes of brilliance both carrying and receiving the ball.

"It's going to be a lot of fun playing here," said a beaming, wide-eyed Young, who played only sparingly as a two-season backup for Mizzou. "It's wide-open here, man, and we're going to score a lot of points in a lot of different ways."

Another key runner will be veteran Indiana transfer Davion Ervin-Poindexter, who had some big moments in some big games for the Tops in '22.

The big question mark for WKU, of course, is on the defensive side, where the Hilltoppers lost a host of quality performers.

Nonetheless, on Saturday the unit was quick to the ball, played with spirit and tenacity, and, bottom line, doesn't need to be perfect for WKU to have gridiron success this season — or any season.

Know this: Helton was forced to replace the vast majority of his coaching staff following the third nine-victory season in his four years at the helm, but one of the few who returned is defensive coordinator Tyson Summers. And, Summers had the Western defense hitting on all cylinders in last year's 44-23 throttling of 10-win South Alabama in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

The Hilltoppers may give up 30 points a game, but they may score 45; clearly, most teams on their schedule won't be able to outscore them.

Western fans should simply hang on tight and expect another fun ride with this bunch in 2023.