For the second time in as many days, Western Kentucky’s football team landed a reinforcement from close to home.

The Hilltoppers announced via Twitter that former Bowling Green High School standout DeAngelo Wilson, who entered the transfer portal this offseason following a stellar career at FCS program Austin Peay, has joined the program. On Monday, Wilson’s former teammate from his Purples days – fullback Jamale Carothers – was announced as a transfer to WKU from the Naval Academy.

Wilson is coming off a truncated senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a shortened schedule, Wilson thrived once again for the Governors and was named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

Wilson followed up a record-breaking 2019 campaign with 619 yards – sixth among FCS receivers – in a shortened 2020-21 season. He did the bulk of his damage in OVC play, where he recorded 100 yards in four of the five games he played and averaged 112.4 yards per game with three touchdowns. Wilson also posted consecutive 10-reception games in the Govs’ upset wins against nationally-ranked Jacksonville State and Murray State to end the regular season.

Wilson became the first Governors athlete to earn the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award since 1980 and was one of four Governors named First Team All-OVC. Wilson also garnered AFCA First Team All-America, STATS Perform First Team FCS All-America and Phil Steele Spring Second Team FCS All-America, and was a STATS Perform Walter Payton Award Finalist.

As a junior at Austin Peay, the 5-foot-9, 173-pound Wilson played in all 15 games, became only the third receiver in program history to record a 1,000-yard campaign, setting program marks in receptions (89), receiving yards (1,564), touchdown receptions (15) and receiving yards per game (104.3).

Wilson shined in the FCS playoffs, posting an eight-catch outing against No. 4 Sacramento State in the second round of the FCS playoffs, scoring a touchdown and amassing 132 yards. Wilson finished the season with a 118-yard, six-catch effort at No. 3 Montana State (Dec. 13), scoring Govs’ lone touchdown.

Wilson emerged as a big-time threat for the Govs as a sophomore, finishing second on the team in receptions (28), receiving yards (478) and receiving touchdowns (7). As a freshman at APSU, he played in 10 games.

A three-year letter winner at Bowling Green, Wilson caught 153 career passes for 2,582 yards and 38 touchdowns and led Bowling Green to a Class 5A state championship three times (2013, 2015-16). Wilson was named first team all-state and first team all-Sky Conference following his senior year.

Wilson and Carothers are the latest in a long list of transfers WKU has signed as part of the 2021 class that the Hilltoppers are hoping will help revamp an offense that struggled last season.

The Hilltoppers are scheduled to open the season at Houchens-Smith Stadium against UT Martin on Sept. 2.