Venson Sneed is like so many of his new teammates at Western Kentucky.

About 50 of the Hilltoppers suiting up during the spring practice sessions are new to the program — mostly transfers looking for new opportunities or a fresh start, maybe both.

Sneed, a redshirt junior defensive lineman, made his way to WKU after three seasons at Indiana. After three years entrenched in the culture of one program, it might be difficult to pull up stakes and reestablish somewhere new.

Not so for Sneed, and he’s doing all he can to make the transition seamless for the rest of his teammates as well.

“I’d say that wore off in about 24 hours,” Sneed said of the novelty of joining a new team. “I’m adaptable. One thing I like to brag about most is my personality, but I like to say that I’m definitely a person that likes up the room so I try to fit in where I’m at. If guys find it hard to accept new people, I’ll make it easy for them.”

Sneed is also working to find his place on the playing field for the Hilltoppers, a process that continues Saturday in the Red & White Spring Showcase at Houchens-Smith Stadium. The controlled intra-squad scrimmage starts at noon and is free and open to the public.

After three seasons with the Hoosiers, the 6-foot-4, 270-pound native of Wabasso, Florida, opted to enter the NCAA transfer portal and find a new spot. Sneed played in 17 games during his three years at Indiana, with three appearances last season. He recorded three tackles in his final season with the Hoosiers. He played in all 12 games during the 2023 season and posted five tackles, with 1.5 for loss and one forced fumble. He played in two games as a true freshman in 2022 with one tackle.

A product of Winter Park High School in Florida, Sneed was rated a four-star prospect and the No. 28 defensive end nationally by Rivals, and he was ranked as the No. 11 player in the Orlando Sentinel’s Central Florida Super60.

At WKU, Sneed thinks he has unlocked some of that untapped potential and his new teammates have been a crucial part of that process.

“We have a big transfer group, so we’re all learning what we can bring to the table and how we can use our abilities together,” Sneed said. Just like working with Dom (Dominic Oliver), working with Harper (Holloman) and Koron (Hayward). Jayden (Gray) … for one, they push me be better. And two, there are things I can learn from them like, this is good. Every single one of them play football different. Jayden, he’s very strong and he kind of teaches me how to use my strength. When I go to Dom, Harper and Koron, they’re just fast so they show me how to use my speed. That’s something I’ve lacked in my career — I haven’t been able to tap into my speed. All of my coaches have been like, ‘Use your speed, Sneed, use your speed.’ So the group I’m with right now is definitely helping me attain all of my abilities.”

With so many newcomers on the roster, there’s bound to be significant sorting to establish who best fits where. The Tops also have new leadership at the top on the defensive side, with Da’Von Brown and Davis Merritt elevated to co-defensive coordinators after Tyson Summers left to take the DC job at Colorado State.

Sneed said he’s ready to play wherever he’s needed, but he does have an idea of where he might be most effective — as a 5-technique defensive end.

“I feel like I can express all my abilities in that position,” Sneed said. “I feel like I can use my speed off the edge, use my strength. People have to respect my strength as a player and when they do that it opens up a lot of opportunities for me to create different ways to get to the quarterback and make plays.”

Wherever Sneed ends up, he hopes to make an impact for the Tops this season on a defensive line with plenty of new faces after graduation and transfer losses.

“We look great up front,” Sneed said. “We’re definitely attacking. We like to play for each other. We’re learning how to be with each other. We spend a lot of time together outside the field so we can get our connection together, so when we’re on the field there’s never any confusion.”