Western Kentucky’s football team said goodbye to its play-caller from the past two seasons, but reportedly has a replacement targeted to bring into the program.

Drew Hollingshead, who served as co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach this past season and was the Tops’ OC for two years after arriving from Mississippi State, was announced by Coastal Carolina as that school’s new offensive coordinator Tuesday.

An Air Raid disciple of the late Mike Leach both at Washington State and Mississippi State, Hollingshead coached WKU redshirt sophomore quarterback Caden Veltkamp, who threw for 3,108 yards and 25 touchdowns while completing 66% of his passes in 11 starts after taking over for injured starter TJ Finley, to Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year honors.

WKU finished 2023 with the CUSA’s top passing offense and No. 15 in the NCAA FBS with 296.4 yards per game through the air and 38 passing touchdowns. The Tops were second in the league in scoring with 30.5 points per game and 50 offensive touchdowns. WKU led CUSA and was No. 5 nationally in red zone offense, No. 3 in the league in total offense and Honorable Mention All-CUSA signal caller Austin Reed led the league in completions per game and was seventh nationally in passing scores.

Also Tuesday, multiple reports indicated Abilene Christian offensive coordinator Rick Bowie is expected to be named as WKU’s new co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach with play-calling duties. ESPN’s Pete Thamel had the initial report.

Bowie helped the FCS-level Wildcats tally a 9-5 record this past season while boasting one of the nation’s most productive offenses (469.6 yards per game, fourth in FCS). In his first season at Abilene Christian, Bowie coached a 1,000-yard rusher and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers. The Wildcats, who averaged 33.8 points per game, averaged 304.1 yards passing and 165.4 yards rushing per outing in 2024.

Bowie was the offensive coordinator for a a Valdosta State squad that went 12-2 in 2023 with an appearance in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals. He was the gameday play-caller for a team that won the Gulf South Conference, averaged 36.9 points per game and was in the top 10 nationally in passing yards per game and total touchdowns.

His 2022 offense was the only team in Division II to be in the top 25 in passing and rushing.

Before his two seasons at Valdosta State, Bowie served as wide receivers coach in 2021 and as offensive graduate assistant in 2019 and 2020 at the University of Houston. He also served as an offensive graduate assistant coach at West Virginia.

A 2012 Dickinson College graduate after playing for four years as a quarterback and wide receiver and serving as the football representative for the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. He went on to get a master’s degree in educational studies from Johns Hopkins in 2018.

Bowie spent two seasons before WVU at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, where he served as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks/tight ends coach as well as director of admissions and enrollment. He received his coaching start as a football coaching intern at Florida International in the summer of 2011, before becoming the tight ends and quarterbacks coach for four seasons at Gilman School in Baltimore.

NEW COMMITMENT

WKU picked up a commitment from Class of 2025 tight end /defensive end Cross Nimmo on Saturday.

A three-star recruit on both 247Sports.com and Rivals.com, the native of Mentor, Ohio, tallied 33 receptions for 530 yards and five touchdowns this past season for Lake Catholic High School. On defense, the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Nimmo had eight tackles including a pair of sacks.

Nimmo was formerly committed to Minnesota.