Western Kentucky announced the hiring of Rick Bowie as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach on Tuesday.

Bowie comes to WKU after spending the 2024 season at Abilene Christian as the offensive coordinator/QB coach. There, he led one of the top passing offenses at the FCS level and helped the Wildcats to their first-ever national ranking at the Division I level, a United Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the FCS playoffs for the first time in program history, where they beat Northern Arizona in the first round.

Bowie’s offense ranked fourth in total offense at 469.6 yards per game and 16th nationally in scoring at 33.8 points per game. Abilene Christian ranked seventh nationally in passing offense with quarterback Maverick McIvor, who recently transferred to WKU. McIvor threw for 3,828 yards and 30 touchdowns to seven interceptions on 312-of-499 passing – an average of 294.5 yards through the air per game – during the 2024 season under Bowie, and the quarterback was named a Second Team All-American by FCS Football Central and was an All-UAC First Team selection.

McIvor ranked fourth in the FCS in total passing yards, fifth in passing yards per game, eighth in total offense, sixth in passing touchdowns, ninth in points responsible for, fourth in total completions and seventh in completions per game.

Before Abilene Christian, Bowie spent two seasons at Valdosta State as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. He helped the Blazers to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals in 2023, as well as the Gulf South Conference title. Bowie’s offense averaged 36.9 points per game and was in the top 10 nationally in passing yards per game and total touchdowns.

In 2022, Valdosta State was the only team in Division II to rank in the top 25 in both passing and rushing.

Prior to his time at Valdosta State, Bowie was at Houston, where he served as the wide receivers coach in 2021 and as an offensive graduate assistant in 2019 and 2020. He was an offensive graduate assistant one season at West Virginia before going to Houston.

Bowie spent two seasons before his arrival at 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 an intern at FIU in the summer of 2011, before becoming the tight ends/quarterbacks coach for four seasons at Gilman School in Baltimore.

Bowie received his bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College in 2012 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.