Since 2016, WKU had produced seven NFL draft selections, tied for the most among all non-Power 5 schools and the most in Conference USA.
Iyiegbuniwe, who was born in Chicago and lived in Bolingbrook, Ill. before moving to Kentucky, returns home after being taken with the 115th overall selection in the fourth round. He became the sixth-highest draft pick and highest ever linebacker taken in WKU history in the common draft era (since 1967).
Iyiegbuniwe joins WKU legend Virgil Livers, one of four retired jerseys in the program, as draft selections from WKU by the Bears.
Like his former teammate, White became the highest draft selection at quarterback in WKU history when the Dallas Cowboys selected him with the 171st pick in the fifth round. Like Iyiegbuniwe, there is a connection to the program. Current Cowboys quarterback coach Kellen Moore and WKU head coach Mike Sanford are both Boise State alumni and share a familiarity through former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen. Moore was in attendance for White's Pro Day workout in Bowling Green earlier this spring.
White is the first Hilltopper to be drafted by the Cowboys.
Iyiegbuniwe and White are the 34th and 35th draft picks, respectively, from WKU. Complete biographies are below.
Next up, numerous Hilltoppers are expected to received preferred contract offers from NFL teams as undrafted free agents. That paths has served many former Hilltoppers well as evidenced by Jack Doyle, Antonio Andrews, Bobby Rainey, and George Fant, to name a few.
Linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe
Iyiegbuniwe elected to forgo his final season of eligibility on The Hill and put medical school on hold after spending four years in the program, becoming the first Hilltopper to do so since former defensive back Jonathan Dowling came out a year early for the 2014 NFL Draft. Like Dowling, Iyiebuniwe's decision was rewarded as he was selected in the fourth round by the Chicago Bears.
Iyiegbuniwe capped what proved to be his final season on The Hill with a bang, leading WKU in tackles (117) and tackles for loss (11.5) en route to All-Conference USA First Team honors. Iyiegbuniwe's 200 career tackles are the sixth-most in a career in the FBS era and his 117 tackles on the season were the third-most in the FBS era. He tallied double-digit tackle performances five times on the year, including two 15-tackle games against Middle Tennessee and Marshall - the second-most in a game in the FBS era. Iyiegbuniwe closed the season with a bang as he racked up 49 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss in the final four games of the season.
He began to make noise as a redshirt sophomore as he saw his role increase dramatically in 2016, starting all 14 games at outside linebacker for the Hilltoppers. He finished the year with 64 total tackles (39 solo), the fourth-most on the team and most among underclassmen. He added 10 tackles for loss, one of four Hilltoppers to record double-digit TFL numbers and one of two linebackers, which included 3.5 sacks. Iyiegbuniwe led the team at No. 1 Alabama with 10 tackles (seven solo). At Miami (Ohio), he forced his first career fumble and added five quarterback hurries and three pass breakups.
A prep star at multiple positions from South Warren High School in Bowling Green, Iyiegbuniwe elected to remain at home and attend WKU, signing with the program in 2014. WKU was, at the time, his only FBS offer.
Quarterback Mike White
White becomes WKU's second-ever quarterback drafted into the NFL, joining the man he replaced on The Hill, Brandon Doughty, with that distinction.
After beginning his career near his native Pembroke Pines at the University of South Florida, White transferred to WKU and sat out the 2015 season where he studied Doughty and refined his game. In 2016, he began his own assault on the WKU record books and left the program as one of the most decorated student-athletes in school history.
Over his two-year starting career, White set school records for passing attempts in a season (560, 2017), passer rating in a season (181.4, 2016), passer rating in a game (306.2, 2016) and won 17 games as the starter. Elsewhere, White is statistically No. 2 or No. 3 in every major passing category. During his first year as the starter, White led the nation's most potent scoring attack, setting a school record for point scored at 637 and average per game at 45.5. Three of the program's single-game highs for offensive output came with White at quarterback.
White capped his career on The Hill with eight consecutive 300-yard passing games, the longest streak in the nation. He finished fourth nationally with 4,177 yards and second with 560 attempts, while leading the country with 368 completions. The senior had at least 20 completions and 30 attempts in all 13 games. White accounted for 81.2 percent of the Hilltoppers' total offense through the air, leading to the No.7 passing offense in the nation. He led WKU with six rushing touchdowns, including a career-high two scores at UTEP.
Following the season, White became the first quarterback in program history to receive an invitation from the Senior Bowl and was the second field general to earn an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine. White finished third in program history with 8,540 passing yards and fourth with 648 career completions, meanwhile his 368 completions in 2017 were the third-most in a WKU single-season. Noted for his accuracy and decision making, he set a single-season Hilltopper record by going 161 passes in-between interceptions.
