Reed the presumed starter at WKU
Aug. 17—When Jarret Doege unexpectedly entered the transfer portal Sunday night, the Western Kentucky University quarterback situation suddenly became clear.
Doege, a graduate transfer from West Virginia, had been battling West Florida transfer Austin Reed throughout fall camp, but the writing was clearly on the wall when Doege opted to depart Bowling Green less than two weeks before the start of the regular season.
Though he didn't address the transfer situation, Hilltoppers offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was complimentary of Reed's abilities to lead the squad in 2022.
"Austin, he goes out there — and he's done it all camp — he has command of the offense," Arbuckle said after Tuesday's practice. "He operates at a high level. He's made really, really good decisions with the ball, where to go with it. He's moving the ball down the field really well."
Reed transferred to Western after a standout career at Division II West Florida, which he led to a national championship in 2019. Reed entered the transfer portal in February and quickly became a hot commodity among FBS schools looking for a new signal-caller before choosing the Hilltoppers a month later.
After initially signing with Southern Illinois out of St. Augustine High School in Florida, Reed transferred to West Florida after a redshirt freshman campaign. There, he threw for 4,089 yards and 40 touchdowns, along with six rushing scores, in his first season. He passed for 523 yards and six TDs to lead West Florida to a 48-40 victory over Montana State in the Division II national championship game.
West Florida's 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Reed picked up where he left off in 2021. Last fall, he threw for 3,418 yards with 38 touchdowns and was named a second-team All-American and a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, Division II's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
Reed selected WKU over offers from Western Michigan and Arkansas State.
With so many accolades, it should come as no surprise that Western head coach Tyson Helton and Arbuckle have high expectations for Reed.
"Today, personally, I didn't think it was our best day from the quarterbacks room standpoint," Arbuckle said of Tuesday's practice. "... I demand a lot out of them every day. I tell them to control what they can control every day. We control us scoring touchdowns. Whenever that doesn't happen, I take it as a personal reflection of the quarterbacks.
"It wasn't the best day, but it wasn't the worst."
As far as Reed's rapport with the Hilltoppers' batch of wide receivers, Arbuckle is confident that the chemistry will build.
"The receivers, there were a few tough catches that they made and there were a few tough catches that I would like to see them make," he added. "Those guys work hard every single day and these are guys I know we can rely on. I know those tough catches will turn into catches more than they will drops."
Western is set to open the season on Aug. 27 when it hosts Austin Peay at Houchens/Smith Stadium, and Arbuckle expects the Hilltoppers to be ready.
"I feel good about it," he said. "I feel good about the guys that we have, the coaches we have here. I feel good about our ability to put our players in the best position to be successful. I'm really excited. I feel good about heading into two weeks from now."
