Sunday night, after a 37-19 victory at Charlotte in the regular-season finale, the Western Kentucky football Twitter account said the program was “Winning on AND off the field today!”

That’s because the Hilltoppers signed Adam Cofield, a graduate transfer running back who helped North Dakota State to the last three FCS championships, and who WKU expects to make an impact on the field next season.

“Really, the decision to leave North Dakota was to be able to go and play at a different level and be able to expand my knowledge of the game with other coaches,” Cofield said Monday in a phone interview with the Daily News. “Being able to be with (WKU’s) coach (Tyson) Helton and coach (Ryan) Aplin almost every day definitely helped my decision on choosing them because they were really helpful in just helping me with the whole process.”

The 5-foot-11, 211-pound back totaled 1,542 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns on 300 attempts in four years for the Bison. He also had 109 yards and a touchdown on 19 receptions, with 103 yards and 16 receptions coming in 2019 – his last full season with NDSU.

WKU running backs caught a combined 17 passes for 96 yards this season.

“I can do it all,” Cofield said. “When the coaches were recruiting me, I was able to do every aspect of the game – I can run, catch and I’m an every-down back. It’s definitely a plus for me going into a different atmosphere and a different level of play.”

For Cofied, like most Division I football players, the goal is to play professionally. Cofield would be following in his father Tim’s footsteps if he did. His father played four years in the NFL with the Chiefs, Jets and Bills, and was a three-time CFL All-Star in six years with Calgary, Hamilton, Memphis and Toronto.

“He was definitely a big influence. Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to be like him and go to play in the NFL,” Cofield said. “It’s definitely an experience I’ve been able to cherish for a long time.”

In high school, he was a three-year starter and helped nationally-ranked Blue Springs South (Mo.) to an unbeaten record and a Class 6 state championship, rushing for 149 yards and three touchdowns and adding a 67-yard touchdown reception in the state final. That year, he was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the Missouri Football Coaches Association, the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Defensive Player of the Year and the Suburban Big 7 Defensive Player of the Year, among other honors. Cofield was also a four-year letter winner in track during high school, and played center field for KC Elite showcase baseball.

Cofield continued his football career at NDSU, where he redshirted the 2016 season and appeared in the first six games the following year as a redshirt freshman before an MCL injury. He finished the year with 163 yards and a touchdown on 43 carries.

“It definitely was a challenge, but it definitely was an experience I won’t forget because I worked so hard to get back on the field,” Cofield said.

He came back strong, and was NDSU’s only running back to appear in all 15 games of the 2018 undefeated season. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry that season, and finished with 563 yards and six touchdowns on 82 attempts. Cofield was one of five players on the team to rush for over 500 yards.

Cofield started 11 games and played in all 16 of another unbeaten season last year. He was an All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honorable mention selection after rushing for 813 yards and 12 touchdowns on 167 carries. He was one of four NDSU players to rush for over 650 yards that season. The Bison won their third straight national championship and the program’s eighth in a nine-year period with a 28-20 victory over James Madison.

“It was definitely a great experience being able to play under two coaches with coach (Chris) Klieman and then coach (Matt) Entz,” Cofield said. “The culture is definitely an exciting culture to be around. It was just a great experience to play with North Dakota State and win multiple national championships.”

The Bison played just one game this fall – a 39-28 victory over Central Arkansas – due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are scheduled to start a spring season against Youngstown State on Feb. 21. Cofield had eight carries for three yards and one reception for a yard against the Bears.

Cofield said the changes in scheduling didn’t really weigh into his decision to transfer, and that it came down to an opportunity to play at a different level and to be able to work on his master’s degree.

He chose WKU over programs like Liberty, Temple and USF, without being able to step foot on campus because of COVID-19 restrictions in place. Cofield said WKU director of player personnel Zach Grant helped him get a feel for the school virtually, and Grant expressed his excitement to have Cofield join the team with a quote tweet of the announcement saying “This is big time!!”

Cofield said he plans to join the team in early January, and that he’s been working with a personal trainer back home in Missouri to stay in shape while trying to stay healthy. He said he doesn’t know anybody on the team personally, but says several now-teammates have followed him on social media and reached out, and believes WKU’s style on offense fits what he’s comfortable with.

“Talking with coach Ap and being able to learn some of the offense, the offense is much similar to what I’ve been around,” Cofield said. “They run every style of run play, which is really a plus for me.”

WKU has six running backs on the 2020 roster – Jakairi Moses, Gaej Walker, Malik Staples, Noah Whittington, C.J. Jones and KeShawn McClendon. Of those, Walker and Staples are redshirt seniors, and the rest are redshirt juniors or younger. The NCAA issued a blanket waiver for an additional year of eligibility for fall sport athletes in 2020, but WKU has not announced who would be returning with that or not yet.

With Cofield’s success at NDSU, WKU is hoping the newest running back on the team will be able to make an impact in 2021, and he’s planning to come at the start of the year with simple expectations.

“It’s to get better, definitely to build a relationship with the guys and be able to improve and get better day by day,” Cofield said.

“I’m just going to work hard and I’m just going to put myself in a position to be successful on the field.”{&end}