Tyson Helton says he’s going into his first spring practice as Western Kentucky’s coach with a blank depth chart.

“When we had our team meeting Sunday, that was one thing I made clear,” Helton said Monday. “I said, ‘Hey, there are no starters.’ I said, ‘I know there are a lot of men who have played a lot of football, but you’ve got to go earn your job every day, or you’re going to get passed up.’ …

“Every man has to go win a job in spring football.”

Helton said that includes the quarterback position, where the Hilltoppers recently added Arkansas graduate transfer Ty Storey.

Storey won’t be participating when WKU takes the field Tuesday for its first spring practice at 4:30 p.m. That workout, like each of the Toppers’ following 14 over the next five weeks, is open to the public at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

The graduate student Storey will become eligible March 18 when WKU’s second bi-term of its spring semester begins. He’ll start classes that day and then go through his first practice March 19.

“He’s going to have to wait a week before he can get started,” Helton said of Storey. “But he’ll get plenty of time over the remaining four weeks.”

Storey appeared in 14 career games for Arkansas, including 10 last year, with nine starts. For the 2018 season, he completed 143 of his 250 pass attempts (57.2 percent) for 1,584 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound QB Storey also finished the year with 67 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked 19 times.

Helton is familiar with Storey’s former league, the Southeastern Conference, having served last season as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator.

“They struggled as a team,” Helton said of the Razorbacks, who went 2-10. “But one thing I kept noticing on film, he was a guy that was a great competitor.

“He was a tough guy. He made the plays that he needed to make. He has some intangibles. He can move around a little bit, get himself out of trouble.”

Storey will compete with returning players Steven Duncan, Davis Shanley and Kevaris Thomas for the Hilltoppers’ quarterback job. Bryan Ellis, WKU’s offensive coordinator, is position coach for that group.

Helton said he’s looking toward summer or fall camp before choosing a starting QB.

“He’ll have to come in and win a job,” Helton said of Storey. “He fully understands that. He’s just excited about the opportunity to compete and be part of this team.”

Helton gives Baker chance to finish career at WKU

One year after then-coach Mike Sanford booted Quinton Baker from the WKU roster, the Hilltoppers’ new staff has let the running back rejoin the team.

Baker re-enrolled this semester at WKU, transferring from FCS program Portland State. He’s taken part in winter workouts and will go through spring practice with the Toppers’ running backs, starting Tuesday.

Helton wasn’t on staff in 2016 and ’17 when Baker appeared in 21 games for WKU. He was a Hilltopper assistant in 2015 when the Ashland native committed to the program as a high school senior.

“(Baker) did some good things while he was here on the field,” Helton said. “He left and came back and wanted to have an opportunity to finish his career at Western.

“He’s done a lot of things, grown up, a lot of maturity. I’ve been really impressed so far with what he’s done both in the classroom and in the workouts. He seems to be handling his business well. I told him, I said, ‘Buddy, you’ve got to prove yourself all over again.’ ”

Baker was a 2016 Conference USA All-Freshman Team performer, rushing for 542 yards and four scores. His production dropped as a sophomore before injuries ended his season after only seven games.

The running back also ran into off-field troubles during his time at WKU, with Sanford dismissing him in April 2018. He transferred to Portland State, where he appeared last year in two games, before returning to WKU.

Baker is classified as a redshirt junior on the Tops’ roster. The program is petitioning the NCAA to have him eligible in 2019 without sitting out as a non-graduate transfer.

“I won’t go into what that criteria is, but (Baker) may meet the criteria (to become immediately eligible as a transfer) for the previous conference he was in,” Helton said.

“We’ll see. We put in the waiver. But again, for him it’s more about being a graduate of Western Kentucky and finishing his career at Western Kentucky.”

Scaife, Wiggins no longer on roster

Offensive lineman R.J. Scaife and defensive lineman Heath Wiggins have chosen to forgo their final seasons of eligibility.

Scaife and Wiggins graduated from WKU in December. Both could’ve enrolled in graduate programs and returned in 2019 as redshirt seniors, but instead moved on after earning their undergraduate degrees.

A Dade City, Fla., native, Scaife played in six games between the 2016 and ’17 seasons and didn’t appear at all last year.

The Mayfield native Wiggins played in 38 games from 2016-18, collecting 51 tackles (12 solo) with one tackle for loss.

Sloan, Spencer to miss spring

Wide receiver Jacquez Sloan and offensive tackle Cole Spencer will both sit out spring practice, team spokesman Kyle Neaves told the Daily News on Monday.

Sloan and Spencer are both still rehabbing from season-ending knee injuries suffered in 2018.

The junior Sloan has 43 career receptions for 677 yards and two touchdowns over 18 games. The redshirt sophomore Spencer appeared in eight games the last two seasons.{&end}