By JEFF NATIONS / jeff.nations@bgdailynews.com

Caden Veltkamp is keeping the starting job as quarterback for Western Kentucky’s football team.

WKU head coach Tyson Helton confirmed Monday that Veltkamp, who stepped in for injured starter TJ Finley early in the season and has led the Hilltoppers to six wins in seven starts since — plus a victory in the game against Middle Tennessee when Finley’s injury occurred — will remain the starter even with Finley again available to play for the Hilltoppers.

“I think Caden has shown that he is deserving to remain the starter,” Helton said during Monday’s weekly news conference. “Obviously we’ve won a lot of games with him. Nothing ever stays the same and every day you’re building your resume and every day you’re competing. It doesn’t matter if you’re the starter or if you’re the backup, but he’s deserving to be in that role.

“Really at the end of the day, I’m just glad that we’ve got two quality quarterbacks. I’ve really been impressed with that room and how those quarterbacks have worked well together.”

WKU (7-2 overall, 5-0 Conference USA) has thrived with Veltkamp leading the offense. The 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore from Bowling Green, a former standout at South Warren High School, gained national notice in his first extended action last season in the Famous Toastery Bowl against Old Dominion in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Veltkamp entered that game to replace struggling starter Turner Helton – who was filling in for injured starter Austin Reed – with the Tops trailing by three touchdowns. That deficit eventually grew to 28-0 in the second quarter.

Veltkamp — who had six career completions up to that point — delivered WKU’s single-best output by a quarterback of the season by completing 40 of 52 passes for 383 yards and five touchdowns, plus another 53 yards rushing on 19 carries to lead the Tops to a 38-35 overtime victory.

Shortly before the bowl game, Veltkamp had entered the NCAA transfer portal and had been asked to return to WKU — as a tight end. A few days after the bowl win, Veltkamp did opt to rejoin the Hilltoppers with a definite shot at competing for the starting quarterback job.

Finley transferred in to compete for the same job. The 6-7 native of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, had the decided edge in previous game experience in the competition with Veltkamp during the spring and until the end of fall camp. The previous season as Texas State’s starting quarterback, Finley had passed for 3,439 yards and 24 touchdowns with just eight interceptions on 279-of-414 passing while starting all 13 games. He also rushed for 81 yards and five touchdowns.

Finley set the Texas State program record for passing yards in a season, finished 17th in the country in passing yards, ranked 23rd in the nation in passing yards per game and passing touchdowns, ranked 16th in the country in completion percentage, and was 23rd in passing efficiency. He helped the Bobcats have the 15th-best offense in the country (457.6 yards per game) and the 28th-best passing offense (270.9 yards per game).

Prior to his one season at Texas State, Finley played three seasons at LSU (2020) and Auburn (2021-22), where he made a combined 11 starts and appeared in 18 games.

Shortly before the season opener against then-No. 1 Alabama, Helton named Finley the starter. The Tops were outmatched in a 63-0 loss in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with neither Finley nor Veltkamp — who played more than half the game in a relief role — effective against the Crimson Tide.

Finley rebounded with a solid performance against Eastern Kentucky in the Tops’ 31-0 home-opening win on Sept. 7, but Finley went down with a lower leg injury early in the first quarter of WKU’s road game the following week against MTSU.

Veltkamp was spectacular again in relief, completing 27 of 30 passes for 398 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another to boost the Tops to a 49-21 win.

The next week, Veltkamp led the Tops to a 26-21 home win against a tough Toledo squad still riding high after a blowout win at Mississippi State. A one-point road loss for WKU followed at Boston College, but the Tops sailed through the October mid-week conference games against UTEP, Sam Houston and Kennesaw State with convincing wins.

It was more of the same last Saturday, as Veltkamp led the Hilltoppers to a 41-28 road win against New Mexico State by passing for two touchdowns and running for two more to boost his career record as a starter to 6-1.

“Caden has been a very quiet, calm and confident player,” Helton said. “His best football is still way ahead of him.”

A two-time CUSA Offensive Player of the Week this season, Veltkamp’s play has lifted WKU to the top passing offense (280.8 passing yards per game) in the conference. Veltkamp ranks second in CUSA in total offense, averaging 262.4 yards per game. He is 149 of 213 passing for 1,950 yards with 19 touchdown passes in eight games. Also a dangerous runner, Veltkamp has scored seven rushing touchdowns this season.

That production made it difficult for WKU to bench Veltkamp in favor of a now-healthy Finley as the Hilltoppers continue to push for a spot in the CUSA championship. Currently tied with Jacksonville State atop the conference standings, WKU hosts Louisiana Tech on Saturday at Houchens-Smith Stadium in an 11 a.m. game on homecoming weekend.

Helton said Finley has been supportive to Veltkamp throughout the season, and that continued last weekend in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Finley’s return provides quality depth to a position group that also includes redshirt sophomore Turner Helton, redshirt junior Willie Taggart Jr. — who started the season at wide receiver — plus freshmen Rodney Tisdale Jr. and Tucker Parks.

“TJ made it back last week, that was his first week back at practice — he suited for the game,” Helton said about Saturday’s 41-28 road win against New Mexico State. “He was available if we needed him. He is in a backup role right now. I’ve been very impressed with TJ though, in the role that he’s playing. I always talk about master your role and even on the sidelines during the game, I’m watching him talk to Caden and telling Caden what he sees from the sidelines. That’s extremely beneficial because it’s one thing to have a coach talk to you, but when your buddy and the guy that you’re in the room with and speaks the same language that you speak … he’s your eyes, from another perspective. TJ did a really good job with that.

“It says a lot about who he is and what he’s willing to do to help this football team. And all our guys are that way, to be quite honest with you. We’re glad to have him back and he’s available if we need him. He’s just trying to help the team anyway he can.”