Western Kentucky Football Inks Head Coach Tyson Helton To Four-Year Extension

G5 Football Daily Staff | Dec 28, 2024

Aug 31, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head coach Tyson Helton watches the game from the sideline during the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images / Will McLelland-Imagn Images

Following an eight-win campaign and guiding Western Kentucky to the program’s twelfth bowl appearance in 13 seasons, Hilltoppers’ sixth-year head coach Tyson Helton has earned a contract extension.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel was first to report the move.

The 47-year-old Helton holds a 48-32 record, being at the helm of the program since the 2019 season.

Per Thamel’s report, the contract extension is for four seasons and will take Helton through the 2028 campaign.

Helton has emerged as one of the top head coaches at the Group of Five level, holding a program-record four bowl wins and the Hilltoppers haven’t had less than eight wins during his tenure in any season outside of the COVID year in 2020.

After playing for his father Kim Helton at Houston from 1996-1999, Helton began his coaching career which has been primarily at the G5 level.

Helton had stops at Hawai’i, Memphis, UAB and Cincinnati before earning his first coordinator job under then-Western Kentucky head coach Jeff Brohm in 2014.

Following a two-year stint coaching under his brother Clay Helton at USC, Helton spent one season at Tennessee as the Volunteers’ offensive coordinator before taking over for Mike Sanford Jr., who was dismissed following a 9-16 two-year stint as Hilltoppers’ head coach.

Helton has developed the Western Kentucky program into one of the top offenses in college football, as quarterbacks Bailey Zappe, Austin Reed and Caden Veltkamp have all flourished into top-tier signal callers under Helton’s tutelage. 

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