Western Kentucky quarterback Mike White and kick returner Kylen Towner were named 2017 Preseason Conference USA Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year, respectively, the league office announced Monday.

Voted on by C-USA head coaches, White is the second Hilltopper (quarterback Brandon Doughty in 2015) to earn Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honors. Towner, meanwhile, is the first WKU player to snag Special Teams Preseason Player of the Year distinction since WKU joined the league prior to 2014.

Last season, White ranked in the top 10 nationally in completion percentage (67.3, eighth), passing yards (4,363, fifth) and touchdowns (37, eighth) while boasting the third-best passer rating (181.4) and the second-best yards per attempt mark (10.5).

He earned C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors for a 517-yard performance in a Week 1 victory against Rice and was recognized for his year-long success when he was named the league’s Newcomer of the Year. He was recently named to the Maxwell Award watch list, given to the nation’s best player.

Towner set the FBS single-season record by averaging 40.3 yards per return with 26 attempts for 1,048 yards. He had a 93-yard touchdown at Marshall and became the first Hilltopper in the FBS era to return the opening kickoff for a score.

In the process of his season, Towner etched his name as WKU’s career record holder in return yardage at 2,441 yards, passing Joey Stockton’s mark of 2,302 from 1994-97.

Overall, the back-to-back defending Conference USA champion Hilltoppers earned a league-high seven selections to the 2017 Preseason All-C-USA Team. Two players on offense and a pair on defense are both tied for tops in C-USA, while the Hilltoppers had three of the five special teams spots.

Seven selections tied last year’s Louisiana Tech team for most preseason picks since 2015. However, there were 51 total players honored in 2016 compared to only 29 this season.

On offense, offensive lineman Brandon Ray joins White on the list after helping lead the nation’s highest-scoring attack in 2016. Ray has started 41-of-41 possible games the past three seasons at WKU. He was ranked No. 30 among offensive guards by Pro Football Focus, while the line as a whole reached as high as No. 8 in 2016.

Two more seniors, defensive lineman Chris Johnson and defensive back Joe Brown, are featured on the other side of the ball.

Johnson started all 14 games for WKU on the interior and wreaked havoc in the opposing backfield, as his 12.5 tackles for loss ranked second on the squad. Among those for loss included four sacks, while recording 43 total tackles, which led all linemen.

Recently named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list, the nation’s top award for a collegiate defensive back, Brown was an All-C-USA Second Team selection last year. He led the Hilltoppers with 10 pass breakups, while recording four tackles for loss and an interception at Marshall.

Punter Jake Collins and punt returner Nacarius Fant were voted in to join Towner as a trio on special teams.

The lone junior Hilltopper on the squad, Collins recently earned his third straight Ray Guy Award watch list designation. He averaged 42.7 yards per kick last season, which garnered All-C-USA Second Team honors. In 2016, Collins helped hold opponents to only nine returns for 49 yards over 14 games.

Fant earned Conference USA First Team honors despite missing five of the final six games, with 11 returns for 172 yards and a pair of scores.

FANT NAMED TO HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST

Western Kentucky senior wide receiver/punt returner Nacarius Fant has been named to the Paul Hornung Award watch list, the Louisville Sports Commission announced Monday.

Named after the Louisville native Hornung, the award has been given annually to the most versatile player in college football since 2010. All four of the 2016 finalists were selected in the 2017 NFL Draft (including winner Jabrill Peppers of Michigan), while the five most recent winners were all taken in the first round in their respective years.

Fant was WKU’s third-leading receiver in 2016 with 29 catches for 407 yards and two scores, making for an average of 14 yards per grab. His 61-yard touchdown catch against Vanderbilt from Tyler Ferguson was the longest of his career.

Fielding punts, Fant had 11 returns for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns and earned All-Conference USA First Team honors despite playing only nine games. While subbing in on kickoffs, Fant had five returns for 106 yards, including a long of 59.

The former Bowling Green High School star was only one of four players in FBS with two touchdowns receiving and on punt returns in 2016, and he added six rush attempts for 26 yards. As a sophomore, Fant was 2-for-3 on pass attempts for 76 yards, with both completions going for touchdowns.

He is one of 46 FBS players to make the preseason list.

The watch list was compiled by a panel of college football experts based on a combination of 2016 statistics, career performance, sports information director recommendations and expectations heading into the 2017 season.

A panel of college football experts selects players for the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll based on performance each week during the season.

A national selection committee composed of 16 sports journalists and former NFL stars votes for the finalists and the winner, with fan voting comprising the 17th vote.