BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Second-year defensive coordinator Clayton White has added the title of Assistant Head Coach, WKU head football coach Mike Sanford announced on Friday.
"Clayton's contributions to our program go much further than the defensive meeting room, and with the respect he carries inside the locker room from both sides of the ball, this is a much deserved title," Sanford said. "I am excited for our defense's continued growth under his direction."
A 2017 Frank Broyles Award nominee for the nation's top assistant coach and a 16-year coaching veteran, White enters his second season as defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach on The Hill.
During White's first campaign as the defensive playcaller, the Hilltoppers enjoyed a historic stretch, holding opponents to their fewest point totals through the season's first seven games in 15 years and a record over that span in the FBS era. As injuries claimed starters along the defensive front and secondary, White's coaching in the cornerbacks room developed DeAndre Farris from a backup into one of the nation's top pass defenders.
The pass defense was also one of the nation's stingiest in allowing passing touchdowns as opposing teams found the end zone just 11 times through the air all season against the Hilltoppers, a mark which ranked No. 5 nationally and just three off the nation's top mark. It was the fewest touchdown passes allowed by a WKU team since the 2001 team also allowed just 11 touchdown passes and four fewer than the previous FBS-era low.
Farris' 15 passes defended, the fifth-most in a single season in program history and tied for the most in the FBS era, ranked No. 36 nationally and No. 2 among C-USA defensive backs. For his efforts, Farris was named All-Conference USA Honorable Mention along with the corner opposite him, Joe Brown.
Due in large part to the tenacity of the defensive backfield in White's 4-2-5 scheme, the Hilltoppers finished ranked No. 40 nationally in pass defense – an improvement of 79 spots from the previous season - and No. 4 in pass-happy C-USA, allowing just 206.8 yards per game through the air, the fewest by a WKU team since the 2013 squad. All four starters in the defensive secondary received postseason accolades as safeties Drell Greene (All-C-USA Honorable Mention) and Devon Key (All-Freshman team) picked up mentions.
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