| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers–No. 10 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Major | Management |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games | |
| High school | South Warren (Bowling Green, Kentucky) |
Caden Veltkamp is an American college football quarterback for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
Veltkamp attended South Warren High School located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Coming out of high school, Veltkamp was rated as a three-star recruit, where he committed to play for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. [1] [2]
During Veltkamp's first collegiate season in 2022, he appeared in just one game where he completed all four of his pass attempts for 25 yards. [3] In the 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl, came in for relief where he threw for 383 yards and five touchdowns, as he helped the Hilltoppers to a comeback overtime win over the Old Dominion Monarchs. [4] Veltkamp finished the 2023 season completing 41 of his 54 passes for 387 yards and five touchdowns to one interception, while also adding 76 yards on the ground. [5] In week three of the 2024 season, Veltkamp came in for relief after starter T. J. Finley went down with an injury in the first quarter, where Veltkamp completed 27 of his 30 pass attempts for 398 yards and five touchdowns, while also adding a touchdown on the ground, as he helped Western Kentucky to a win over the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. [6] For his performance against Middle Tennessee State, Veltkamp was named the Conference USA offensive player of the week, while also being named to the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 list for Week 3 and a Manning Award Star of the Week. [7] Heading into week four, Veltkamp was named the team's starting quarterback, set to make his first career start. [8] [9] In Veltkamp's first career start, he completed 20 of his 30 passing attempts for 242 yards and a touchdown, while also adding two touchdowns on the ground, as he helped the Hilltoppers to a comeback win over Toledo Rockets. [10]
Jeffrey Scott Brohm is an American college football coach and former professional quarterback. He is the head football coach at his alma mater, the University of Louisville, a position he has held since the 2023 season. Brohm played college football for the Louisville Cardinals under coach Howard Schnellenberger from 1989 to 1993. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons from 1994 to 2000 and the XFL in 2001. Brohm served as the head football coach at Western Kentucky University from 2014 to 2016 and Purdue University from 2017 to 2022.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football program is a college football team that represents Western Kentucky University. The team competes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level and represents the university as a member of Conference USA in the Eastern division. The 2002 team was the FCS national champion. The program has 13 conference championships and 7 FBS-level bowl game victories. The Hilltoppers play their home games at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky and the team's head football coach is Tyson Helton.
South Warren High School, located in Bowling Green, in the U.S. state of Kentucky, is one of four high schools in the Warren County School System. The school opened on August 3, 2010. It is co-located in the same building complex as South Warren Middle School. Together they comprise the largest school facility in Kentucky. The mascot for South Warren, the Spartans, is inspired by Sparta, an ancient society characterized by a constitutional diarchy form of government and a reverence for martial pursuits.
The Battle for the Red Belt is an American college football rivalry between the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team of Western Kentucky University and the Murray State Racers football team of Murray State University. The rivalry began as an in-conference rivalry within the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), but both schools have since departed for other conferences. The Hilltoppers were the first to move, transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision and playing as an independent in the 2008 season before moving football to the Sun Belt Conference in 2009, followed by a move to Conference USA in 2014. The Racers, which remain in the Football Championship Subdivision to this day, played their final OVC season in 2022, and joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2023. The rivalry has continued as a trophy game, although it is no longer played on an annual basis.
The 2014 Bahamas Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game that was played December 24, 2014 at Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau in the Bahamas. The first edition of the Bahamas Bowl featured the Central Michigan Chippewas of the Mid-American Conference against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers of Conference USA. It began at 12:00 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2014–15 bowl games that concluded the 2014 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen fried chicken restaurant chain, the game was officially known as the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.
Brandon Doughty is an American former professional football quarterback. He played college football at Western Kentucky and was their starting quarterback from 2013 to 2015.
The Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network (HSSN) is a viewer-supported, student-run, and seasonal syndicated programming service based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It features live broadcasts of men's and women's college basketball events of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, the sporting team representing Western Kentucky University. The institution is currently a member of Conference USA.
The 2016 Boca Raton Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on December 20, 2016, at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. The third annual edition of the Boca Raton Bowl was one of the 2016–17 bowl games concluding the 2016 FBS football season.
Michael White is an American professional football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Florida Bulls and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. White was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he spent one season, before joining the New York Jets the following year. A backup during his first three seasons, White did not see any playing time until 2021 in relief of injured starter Zach Wilson. He later replaced Wilson as the starter near the end of the 2022 season before being sidelined by injuries himself. White has also played as a backup for the Miami Dolphins.
The 2018–19 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers, led by third-year head coach Rick Stansbury, played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky as fifth-year members of Conference USA (C-USA). The team finished the season tied for second place in the conference and were defeated in the championship game of the conference tournament.
The 1980 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 14th-year head coach Jimmy Feix, the Hilltoppers compiled and overall record of 9–1 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, winning the OVC title. However, Western Kentucky was not selected for the NCAA Division I_AA Football Championship playoffs. Instead, the OVC's second-place finisher, Eastern Kentucky, was invited despite the fact that Western had beaten them earlier in the season. This perceived snub was a factor in Western Kentucky's decision to leave the OVC in 1982. The Hilltoppers finished the season ranked fifth in final Associated Press poll.
Tyler Jamal "T. J." Finley is an American football quarterback for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Finley attended and played high school football at Ponchatoula High School in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, and began his college career at LSU before transferring to Auburn the following year and then would transfer to Texas State two years later.
Bailey Michael Zappe is an American professional football quarterback. He played his first three seasons of college football for the Houston Baptist Huskies and used his last year of eligibility with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, where he set the FBS season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Zappe was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft and mostly served as backup until becoming their primary starter near the end of the 2023 season.
The 2021 Conference USA Football Championship Game was a college football game played on December 3, 2021, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. It was the 17th edition of the Conference USA Football Championship Game and determined the champion of Conference USA (C–USA) for the 2021 season. The game began at 6:00 p.m. CST and aired on CBS Sports Network. The contest featured the hosts and West Division champion UTSA and the East Division champion Western Kentucky. Sponsored by tax services and consulting firm Ryan LLC, the game was officially known as the Ryan Conference USA Football Championship Game.
Connor Bazelak is an American college football quarterback for the Bowling Green Falcons. He previously played for the Missouri Tigers and the Indiana Hoosiers.
Jarret Doege is an American professional football quarterback for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Bowling Green, West Virginia and Troy.
Austin Reed is an American professional football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Southern Illinois Salukis, West Florida Argonauts, and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
Ben Arbuckle is an American college football coach and former player. He is the offensive coordinator for the University of Oklahoma. He previously served as the offensive coordinator at Washington State.
The 2023 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers played their home games at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and competed members of Conference USA. They were led by fifth-year head coach Tyson Helton.
Malachi Corley is an American professional football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Kentucky, earning all-conference honors in 2022 and 2023.