Sources: WKU, Helton agree on new 4-year deal

Coach Tyson Helton and Western Kentucky have agreed in principle to a new four-year contract, sources told ESPN, which will extend him through the 2028 season.

Helton has led Western Kentucky to bowl games in all six of his seasons at the school and has emerged as one of the top coaches in the sport outside of the power conferences.

He is 48-32 over his six seasons, including a nonconference win over Arkansas and four bowl wins, which is a record for a Hilltoppers coach. He had drawn interest from multiple schools this cycle and in recent years for head coaching positions.

Helton came to Western Kentucky after serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee in 2018. He spent the previous two seasons at USC as the quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator.

He is a former quarterback at Houston who has also worked at Memphis and UAB and had a previous stint at Western Kentucky as an assistant coach.