WKU Football: Quarterback Losses and Additions Ahead of 2019
Division I football teams, especially at the G5 level, can be atop the highest mountain one year and be dead last the next. Case in point —…
Division I football teams, especially at the G5 level, can be atop the highest mountain one year and be dead last the next. Case in point — Western Kentucky.
While not losing too many players (the Tops were one of the youngest teams in college football last year, after all), 2019 might still nonetheless have a very different feel to it.
In this series, we’re going to take a look at what the Hilltoppers are losing and who is next in line to replace them in the first year of the Tyson Helton era.
Losses
While we wont do this with each installment, we’ll put him here for a plethora of reasons: 1.) He was a quarterback himself, back in the day, 2.) he was the mastermind (“mastermind”) of the offense and 3.) …well, it’s the first one. So it makes sense.
Mike Sanford Jr.
After two years as head coach of WKU, Mike Sanford is gone having compiled a 9–16 record in his brief tenure. He completed his 2018 season winning the final two games against UTEP and La Tech, but the lowest point in the season was when WKU lost to FCS opponent Maine and losing to perennial C-USA cellar dweller Charlotte.
His team failed to produce a rushing attack until the 2018 season which still took three games to get above 100 yards rushing.
The qualms don’t just go on that side of the ball, either. Defensively, Sanford allowed 2,074 total yards rushing, 2,985 yards passing for a total of 5, 059 yards and 36 touchdowns. Offensively, Sanford’s team rushed for 1,642 yards, 2,722 yards passing, for a total of 4,364 yards and 30 touchdowns.
By all metrics, Sanford wasn’t working out and WKU athletic director Todd Stewart knew it, regardless of the final two games.
Drew Eckels
The red-shirt senior quarterback that had to overcome injury after injury in his senior season only played in three games, getting enough yards to come in third of the three starting quarterbacks. He threw for 709 yards, completing 50.5% of his passes, for three touchdowns.
It was a tough-luck go for Eckels, who had nothing but praise for him coming out of spring and fall camps. Unfortunately for him, though, he was unable to make any sort of mark on his final season, but was never one to (publicly, at least) show any sort of frustration with not playing (more so than you could expect someone who was dealing with an injury to do, at least).
Additions
Tyson Helton
Helton is the guy and Stewart made that decision only a couple days after letting Sanford go. Helton served as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator in 2018, USC’s quarterback coach under his brother from 2016–2017 and was Jeff Brohm’s OC on the Hill from 2014–2015.
The inexperience is blinding, and the thought of having another “Sanford” is cringe worthy. But the optimist in me is giving Coach Helton the benefit of the doubt. I know that the Jeff Brohm fans have been drooling over the thought of another “Brohm” but rein it in guys. Let’s just see what happens. He has some key players that can push his offense to the top but let’s see what we’ve got.
Steven Duncan
As much of a Davis Shanley fan I am, I have to give the first spot to Duncan. Why? Because he received the most starts this past year and performed; he completed 57% of his passes for 1,071 yards and nine touchdowns as well as seven interceptions. Duncan added 192 yards and two touchdowns with his legs.
Most critics of Duncan would say he shouldn’t get the job because he makes careless mistakes at inopportune times. Some contribute that to immaturity or inexperience, and that will just get better with time.
Davis Shanley
When Duncan wasn’t in, we saw a young quarterback step up and become a leader in Davis Shanley. He didn’t have the best numbers on the team because of his limited starts, throwing for 68%, 942 yards and two interceptions (in one game) and rushing for 92 yards and one touchdown. His leadership pushed WKU to almost beating the Louisville as well as leading WKU to get its first win with a great play in the first half against Ball State.
Kevaris Thomas
It’s hard to not to see the Beast from the Beach seriously competing for the starting role in his sophomore campaign. He’s a 6’4”, 250 pound quarterback who looks like the character you made on Madden NFL football back in the day — you know, the one who had 99 overall stats in everything.
Sadly he was used sparingly by the previous regime in his freshman season and wasn’t given the chance to do much. He was mostly used in wildcat packages. He did throw one pass, but it fell incomplete.
Needless to say, I look forward to the way this kid develops.