Nick Uhlenhopp

Red Towel Trust announced the hiring of Nick Uhlenhopp as its first Executive Director effective March 4.

“I am incredibly honored to be named the first Executive Director of Red Towel Trust,” Uhlenhopp said in a news release. “I want to thank the Board of Directors for giving me this opportunity. A big thanks to coach Tyson Helton for his endless support and relationship over the years. I’m excited to get to work on behalf of our student athletes, coaches and the WKU community. NIL is one of the most innovative changes to happen in collegiate athletics in several years. It’s a game changer for many programs, and most importantly, it’s changing the lives of student athletes who get to lend their platforms to charitable causes, local businesses, and the WKU community. We, as a community, have a chance to do something great together, and I can’t wait to engage with everyone that wants to get involved.”

Uhlenhopp will oversee day-to-day operations of Red Towel Trust, work to increase fundraising for the collective and focus on continuing to grow the relationship between Red Towel Trust, Western Kentucky University, its student-athletes and charitable causes in the community.

“We’ve truly hit the jackpot with our hiring of Nick,” Red Towel Trust co-founder and board member Hank Wilson said. “From FCS to FBS growth at WKU, to his roles with Western Michigan and Iowa State, Nick truly leaves everything better than he finds it. He is committed to our goals of positively impacting student athletes and making our community a better place to live. His networking connections, knowledge of NIL and WKU as a former assistant athletic director, and his strong work ethic make this a best-case scenario.

“We are pleased with the progress that we’ve made since inception, and Nick’s hiring will allow Red Towel Trust the opportunity to excel in our quest to become the best G5 collective in the nation.”

Uhlenhopp previously served as assistant athletic director – chief of football staff at WKU, a role he held since February 2020. He had worked as assistant athletic director for football operations since 2017. He also spent three seasons at WKU as director of football operations under David Elson and is familiar with the program since the early stages of its FBS transition.

“This is an excellent addition by Red Towel Trust,” WKU Director of Athletics Todd Stewart said. “Nick has tremendous institutional and community knowledge, and the meaningful relationships he has established with a wide variety of constituents will benefit both the Red Towel Trust and WKU athletics. The growth of Red Towel Trust has provided vital support to WKU student-athletes, and I am confident Nick’s daily involvement will have an additional positive impact.”

Uhlenhopp spent one season as the director of football operations at Western Michigan and oversaw all areas of the program’s operation, including the team’s trip to the 2016 Cotton Bowl. He spent six years at Iowa State as assistant recruiting coordinator (2010-13) and director of football operations (2013-15), where he handled a variety of team needs, including travel, team camps, community service events, recruiting operations, NFL scouts and walk-on programs.

Uhlenhopp is a 2002 graduate of Graceland University. He and his wife, Andrea, have two daughters, Laney and Landry.

Red Towel Trust is the official NIL collective of WKU. In its first year, Red Towel Trust student-athletes contributed over 450 hours of community service.

Red Towel Trust held an inaugural kickoff event at WKU’s Eva & Jim Martens Alumni Center on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, and in its first year saw over $350,000 in opportunities for student-athletes to leverage their NIL, allowing them to focus on their education and athletic careers without financial constraints.