Tyson Helton's won 26 games in his last three seasons atop the Western Kentucky football program, and he's pushing the Hilltoppers to keep moving forward.
With that in mind, sources tell FootballScoop that Helton is bolstering his Hilltoppers staff with the addition of college coaching veteran Will Friend,
A former Alabama Crimson Tide player who's coached at Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State and Tennessee in the SEC, Friend will transition onto the WKU staff as the team's offensive coordinator.
Drew Hollingshead, also a former Mississippi State assistant, is remaining on staff with the Hilltoppers to coach the team's quarterbacks.
Another coaching veteran, Joe Bernardi, who has stops in the SEC at Auburn and Tennessee, as well as helping Troy to an double-digit win season in 2023, is coming aboard to help the WKU offensive line, sources told FootballScoop.
Friend and Helton previously worked together at Tennessee, where Helton turned one year as the Vols' offensive coordinator into the opportunity to take over at Western Kentucky.
Since that time, Helton has led the Hilltoppers to bowl games in four of his five seasons at the helm and won eight or more games four times.
After an 8-5 2023 campaign, WKU is slated to open the 2024 season at Friend's alma mater -- Alabama, Aug. 31, in what will be the debut game for new Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer.