Hilltoppers seeing healthy competition on offense

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Thursday on the Hill, the Tops continued their fall camp, being just 16 days out from kicking off the season.

The period has been a time for the team to connect and grow all together, but in the process, many position groups have seen competition for who will hit the turf at Houchens-Smith Stadium, starting with the tight ends room.

The team brought in a pair of experienced guys in Jackson West and Justin Wolf, who bring power five knowledge to the Hill, but one of the few returners from 2024 is Noah Meyers, who enters his third season with the team.

After racking up seven catches, 123 yards, and one touchdown in eight games as a redshirt freshman, Meyers earned a pair of national preseason honors (2025 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watchlist, 2025 Phil Steele Preseason CUSA All-Conference Fourth Team – TE).

As he continues to compete for the starting spot, Meyers along with his new position coach Kevin O’Brien, explain what’s so appealing about taking the field for the Tops offense.

“ Oh, it’s a blast. Let me tell you, there’s nothing better than scoring points. Obviously, we love to play defense here, we love to make sure we stop the run and do all that on defense, but offensively, man, we like scoring points,” O’Brien said. “It’s a lot of fun. I like touchdowns, the guys like touchdowns. Let’s keep doing that.”

“We’re always going to be an explosive offense. We’re going to be an offense that, you know, we’re going to move it down the field, we’re looking to score touchdowns. That’s the name of the game, and that’s what Western’s about,” Meyers said.

In order for the Tops to score all their points, the team must have a stout offensive line that creates gaps for the run game and gives the quarterback time to make plays.

This season, WKU returns only one seasoned starter on the O-line in All-CUSA senior Marshall Jackson, so there’s plenty of spots up for grabs beside the Meade County native.

As with most of the team, those roles are being filled with new transfers and incoming first or second year players, and for Caleb Nitta, who joins the Tops following two seasons at Virginia Tech, he’s looking to compete to be the WKU center, and he shared how the battle for each spot has gone down so far.

“ Everyone competes every day, and competition breeds success. Every single person in every position’s been competing, whether it’s in the weight room or on the field, everyone’s been working super, super hard to get better and get ready for this season,” Nitta said. “I’ve been playing center a long time, that’s where I fit the best in this offense, and I think Coach [Joe] Bernardi and Coach [Rick] Bowie have really put me in the spot to succeed.”