BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Football graduate senior quarterback Bailey Zappe became the second Hilltopper to make his dreams come true in the NFL Draft this year when he was selected Saturday by the New England Patriots in the fourth round with the 137th overall pick.
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Zappe's pick follows the selection of WKU defensive end DeAngelo Malone by the Atlanta Falcons in Friday's third round. This is the fifth time since 2014 that the Hilltoppers have had multiple picks in the same draft.
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Zappe is the highest-drafted quarterback in WKU history and the third Hilltopper QB selected in the last seven years, joining Mike White in 2018 and Brandon Doughty in 2016.
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The Victoria, Texas, native is the 37th overall draft pick in program history and the second to be chosen by the Patriots, joining running back Isaac Brown in 1973.
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Zappe rewrote the record books in his lone season on the Hill, breaking the NCAA single-season records for passing yards (5,967 yards) and passing touchdowns (62). He led the nation in passing yards by 1,095 and touchdowns by 15.
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He was named the Conference USA Football Most Valuable Player while helping the Hilltoppers to a C-USA East Division title and a convincing win in the Boca Raton Bowl, where he was named MVP.
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The NCAA passing record Zappe broke had stood since 2003, while he also broke the touchdown record set by Joe Burrow in his prolific 2019 season at LSU.
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Zappe also won the 2021 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and he was named a finalist for the Manning Award, as well as a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards. He's the second Hilltopper in the program's FBS era to win a national award, joining Doughty.
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Zappe is just the sixth quarterback in FBS history to achieve a season with at least 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns.
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