BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Football quarterback Maverick McIvor has accepted an invitation to the 2026 American Bowl.
McIvor will join punter Cole Maynard as Hilltoppers that have accepted invitations to The American Bowl, which is in its inaugural year. As America's newest premier college football all-star game, The American Bowl will showcase top national prospects projected in the 4th-7th rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. Airing in prime time on NFL Network on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. CT, the game fills the spotlight with no competing football events between the College Football Playoff National Championship and NFL Conference Championships, and is to be played before an expected sold-out crowd of 4,000 at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida.
McIvor capped off his college career with New Orleans Bowl MVP honors, after coming off the bench and leading the Hilltoppers to a 27-16 victory over Southern Miss at Caesars Superdome on Dec. 23. McIvor threw for 199 yards on 12-of-19 passing and rushed for an additional 48 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts.
He finished the season with 2,062 yards and 12 touchdowns on 183-273-6 passing in eight games, including seven starts. He rushed for an additional 76 yards and two scores on 39 attempts, helping the team finish the 2025 season with an overall 9-4 record.
McIvor received several recognitions before and during the season, in addition to his New Orleans Bowl MVP honors. McIvor started the season named Preseason All-Conference USA by Phil Steele and Athlon Sports, he was a member of the 2025 CUSA Preseason Watch List, he was on the 2025 Maxwell Award Watch List, he was on the 2026 Senior Bowl Top 300 Watch List and he was on the 2025 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List. He received CUSA's Offensive Player of the Week award three times, he was named the East-West Shrine Bowl Monday Morning Quarterback and he was an Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week Honorable Mention selection.
McIvor transferred to WKU after spending three seasons at Abilene Christian, where he was one of the top players at the FCS level. Over three seasons with the Wildcats, he threw for 8,012 yards and 63 touchdowns on 655-of-1089 passing with 21 interceptions. During his final season at Abilene Christian in 2024, McIvor threw for 3,828 yards and 30 touchdowns to seven interceptions on 312-of-499 passing – an average of 294.5 yards through the air per game – while leading his team to the United Athletic Conference title and berth in the FCS Playoffs, where the Wildcats beat Northern Arizona in their first game. He was named a Second Team All-American by FCS Football Central, and was an All-UAC First Team selection at quarterback. McIvor ranked fourth in the FCS in total passing yards, fifth in passing yards per game, eighth in total offense, sixth in passing touchdowns, ninth in points responsible for, fourth in total completions and seventh in completions per game. In 2023, he posted 17 touchdowns and 1,972 yards with just five interceptions, and in his first year with the program, McIvor had 2,212 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing 60% of his passes. He arrived at Abilene Christian after three seasons at Texas Tech, where he did not see any game action.
WKU Football 2026 season tickets are on sale now! Season tickets start as low as $50, and there are several options for different season ticket levels. For more information or to purchase 2026 WKU Football season tickets, click HERE. Are you interested in purchasing 2026 WKU Football tickets but don't know where to start? Fill out this form and a member of the WKU Ticket Office will be in touch soon! All season tickets require an HAF donation. A full 2026 schedule will be released at a later date.
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