Lewis returns to Hilltopper secondary with same energy and intensity in 2026

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Fall camp is underway and the countdown to Week 1 has begun for WKU Football.

The Hilltoppers receive plenty of national attention for having a really cool mascot and a really up-tempo offense, but the defense too has been as good as it gets in recent years.

Entering 2026, Western is set to return a few core members of the unit, one being a top tackler in Jaylen Lewis.

Lewis started all 13 games at safety for the Tops and was lockdown in the secondary.

From picking off passes to breaking up catches and forcing fumbles, he did it all.

His return is huge for all of those reasons, plus bringing back his leadership, energy and intensity play a big role during the course of a four-month season.

He spoke at local media day earlier in the week on why he chose to come back to the Hill for his redshirt senior season.

“ The family that we built, the history, the everything, it wasn’t no need for me to leave,” Lewis said. “I wasn’t looking forward to leaving, I was looking forward to everybody coming back, but you know, everybody got their own destiny and their own dream.”

“Coach Helton told me every man has a story, but it’s different. It’s a different story every time for every man, so I’ll say my story was different from everybody else. I feel like I ain’t had to leave, so that’s why I stayed.”

Lewis and the Hilltoppers start the year in Week 1 at Mackay Stadium facing the Nevada Wolf Pack on September 5.

Kickoff for the away season opener is set for 9:30 p.m. CT.