Austin Reed threw for 4,746 yards and 40 touchdowns in 14 games last season as Western Kentucky’s starting quarterback. Entering the offseason, there were rumors that Reed would spend his final season of eligibility at a Power Five program.
Reed put those rumors to rest, instead choosing to return to Western Kentucky for the 2023 season. As a result, Western Kentucky bolts up the list of Conference USA title contenders.
Head Coach Tyson Helton will likely earn the chance to run a Power Five program one day, given his previous successes as an offensive mind. Helton has done well at Western Kentucky, and the Hilltoppers are expected to contend for the CUSA title and make a bowl game again in 2023.
Reed plays a critical role in the team’s potential future success.
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2023 Passing Leader?
Austin Reed, Michael Penix Jr., Caleb Williams, and Drake Maye. Those were the only four FBS quarterbacks to throw for more than 4,300 yards last season.
Penix Jr. is a dark-horse Heisman candidate for Washington. Williams won the Heisman last season at USC. Maye is considered a possible top 5 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft from North Carolina.
Reed’s 2022 statistics put him in an elite class for FBS quarterbacks, and there’s no reason to expect a dropoff in 2023 as he’ll have a chance to show off his smooth passing against an exciting schedule.
Western Kentucky plays at Ohio State and at Troy in back-to-back weeks in September, giving Reed a chance to pass against one of the best Power Five teams in the nation before squaring off with an elite Group of Five foe. He’ll have a chance to impress NFL scouts early in the year, and if Reed plays well in those two games, he’ll gain national recognition.
Reed should feast against a seemingly easy CUSA slate, and the Hilltoppers should score in bunches during league games. A matchup with Houston Christian in the nonconference schedule also represents an ideal chance for Reed to pad his stats.
Who knows, if Western Kentucky goes undefeated or only loses a game, Reed could be one of the few Group of Five quarterbacks to have their name floated as a Heisman Trophy candidate. It’s possible he throws for over 4,000 yards once again in 2023.
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Western Kentucky’s Conference USA Championship Odds
Western Kentucky has the best odds to win Conference USA at +125, via BetMGM. WKU’s passing game and overall offense will certainly help the Hilltoppers contend for the league championship.
Western Kentucky ranked 15th nationally in scoring last season, averaging 36.4 points per game. The Hilltoppers could certainly eclipse that mark in 2023.
Reed should only gain confidence with another year in the offensive system, and the Hilltoppers return leading wide receiver Malachi Corley in addition to several other potential standouts. The addition of several Power Five receivers and tight ends only adds to the intriguing possibilities of what Western Kentucky’s offense could become in 2023.
Ohio State and Troy’s defense are solid, which won’t help Western Kentucky’s offensive stats, but the manageable league schedule gives Western Kentucky a chance to have a top-10 scoring offense in 2023. South Alabama’s defense was one of the Sun Belt’s best in 2022, but that didn’t stop Western Kentucky from dropping 44 points on the Jaguars at the end of last season. Reed threw for 497 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.
With Austin Reed at quarterback, Western Kentucky is scary.
Bennett Conlin is a college football contributor for HERO Sports, and he works full-time covering sports betting industry news and legislation for Sports Handle and US Bets.
