WKU Football quarterback Caden Veltkamp will return to the Hilltoppers, Veltkamp announced Wednesday.
His return has been in question, since he had put his name in the transfer portal after Coach Tyson Helton chose another freshman quarterback to be under center for the Toppers in their bowl game in mid-December when the veteran senior QB decided to opt out of the postseason.
"I believe in the people here. The people here are the reason it feels like home," Veltkamp said. "I think we have a good team coming back and I truly think we can compete for a championship."
Veltkamp led the Hilltoppers from a 28-point deficit to a 38-35 overtime victory over Old Dominion in the Famous Toastery Bowl at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Dec. 18 to cap off the 2023 season. The Bowling Green native finished off his redshirt freshman season with Famous Toastery Bowl Offensive MVP honors after throwing for 383 yards and five touchdowns on 40-of-52 passing off the bench in the first significant action of his collegiate career.
The win marked WKU's third bowl win in the last three seasons and the fourth in five seasons under Head Coach Tyson Helton.
Veltkamp was a standout locally at South Warren High School, where he was considered a three-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals, and 247Sports. He threw for 2,456 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading the Spartans to a 14-1 record and a KHSAA Class 5A state title his senior season.
The Logan County Cougars saw Veltkamp up-close and personal in their last regular season game of the 2021 season. Even though Coach Todd Adler’s Cougars won their way to the Class 4A semifinals that year, Veltkamp led the eventual Class 5A state champions to a 41-3 win over the Cougars. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 317 yards and 3 touchdowns against Logan’s most successful team ever.
WKU finished the 2023 season with an 8-5 overall record. The Hilltoppers are slated to open the 2024 season at Alabama on Aug. 31/
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