In the first preseason college football poll released today by USA Today, Western Kentucky received a preseason program-high and Conference USA-best 11 points in the Amway Coaches Poll on Thursday.

Prior to the start of the 2015 campaign, WKU received one vote in the Associated Press poll before going on to finish last season ranked No. 24 by the publication after securing Conference USA and Miami Beach Bowl championships. WKU is one of two C-USA programs to receive points in the preseason poll (Marshall, 2) and the fifth-highest Group of Five team.

Head coach Jeff Brohm and the Hilltoppers opened fall camp on Wednesday inside Houchens-Smith Stadium as they prepare for a Sept. 1 season and home opener against C-USA foe Rice.

WKU returns seven starters on offense including all five offensive linemen, led by All-American candidate and recent “Five Star” collegian Forrest Lamp. Lamp was one of 32 players rated as a five-star player nationally by 247Sports.com and the only Group of Five player in the Top 30.

Defensively, the Hilltoppers return senior safeties Marcus Ward and Branden Leston as well as a pair of juniors in linebacker T.J. McCollum and end Derik Overstreet. 

The Amway Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at FBS schools. The panel is chosen by random draw, conference by conference plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the American Football Coaches Association their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.