Division I · Conference USA
Western Kentucky University Football
Bowling Green, KY · the Hilltoppers · Western Kentucky University overview
112
Roster
7 over the D-I cap of 105
$11M
Team budget
54th percentile in Division I
$98,573
Per roster spot
median $79,762
15
Coaches
1 head · 14 assistant
962
APR
96% of players retained
97%
Admitted
bottom quarter for selectivity
Western Kentucky University fields a football team in the Conference USA (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 112 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 14 assistants. Team expenses were $11,040,244, above the median of $9.1M — $98,573 per roster spot, upper half of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 7 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 962, about the median of 964, with 96% of players retained year to year. The school gave $3,800,875 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $14,618 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#121Team budgetof 261 · Division I#111Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#193Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#131APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster112 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 7 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 14 assistant
- Team expenses$11,040,244 for the year
- Operating expenses$3,379,407 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$98,573 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate962 multi-year; 945 latest
- Players retained96% year to year
- Eligible96% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$3,800,875 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$14,618 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$715,751 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Tyson Helton head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Western Kentucky University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →14,590undergraduates · 16,759 students in all
Women 62% Men 38%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Public · Doctoral/professional university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →97%admitted · of 7,720 applicants
SAT middle 50%820 – 1010
ACT middle 50%16 – 20
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 56%
Football
Full picture →112on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105112
7 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate962
96% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $11,040,244 $98,574 per roster spot · upper half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 14 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $3,800,875
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $715,751
Cost
Full picture →$12,054net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $11,436 in-state · $27,000 out
Campus safety
Full picture →0.78violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 14 burglaries · 25 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 4 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →20%of bachelor's degrees in business · 27 fields · Associate's, Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Western Kentucky University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program112 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions97% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$12,054 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 20%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 14,590Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.78 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay State University Division I · United Athletic Conference | 59 | 108 | $5.5M | 941 | 96% | |
| Tennessee State University Division I · Ohio Valley Conference | 60 | 109 | $6.9M | 947 | 93% | |
| Vanderbilt University Division I · Southeastern Conference | 61 | 116 | $44M | 984 | 6% | |
| Kentucky Wesleyan College Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference | 64 | 112 | $1.8M | — | 67% | |
| Tennessee Technological University Division I · Southern Conference | 77 | 111 | $5.7M | 947 | 83% | |
| Middle Tennessee State University Division I · Conference USA | 79 | 149 | $13M | 985 | 68% | |
| University of Louisville Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference | 93 | 120 | $31M | 984 | 81% | |
| Centre College Division III · Southern Athletic Association | 103 | 121 | $652k | — | 54% | |
| Murray State University Division I · Missouri Valley Football Conference | 106 | 110 | $4M | 962 | 86% | |
| Kentucky State University Division II · Southern Intercol. Ath. Conf. | 121 | 131 | $1.3M | — | 93% | |
| University of the South Division III · Southern Athletic Association | 127 | 90 | $881k | — | 51% | |
| Eastern Kentucky University Division I · United Athletic Conference | 129 | 122 | $6.8M | 952 | 78% |
Other football programs in the Conference USA
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty University 12 over cap | 117 | $23M | $196,278 | 957 | vs | |
| Jacksonville State University 53 over cap | 158 | $15M | $94,929 | 961 | vs | |
| Middle Tennessee State University 44 over cap | 149 | $13M | $89,244 | 985 | vs | |
| Florida International University 9 over cap | 114 | $13M | $112,586 | 968 | vs | |
| New Mexico State University 44 over cap | 149 | $12M | $79,055 | 956 | vs | |
| Kennesaw State University 15 over cap | 120 | $11M | $95,796 | 949 | vs | |
| Western Kentucky University 7 over cap | 112 | $11M | $98,573 | 962 | vs | |
| University of Delaware 5 over cap | 110 | $10M | $92,061 | 958 | vs | |
| Sam Houston State University 22 over cap | 127 | $9.7M | $76,693 | 936 | vs | |
| Missouri State University room for 6 | 99 | $6.6M | $66,242 | 971 | vs |
Every Conference USA football program · Football budgets ranked