3/24/2023 football Edit

WKU's DL room recaps week one of spring practice

Western Kentucky DL coach Carson Hall recaps week one of spring practice.

Drew Toennies • InsideHilltopperSports

Staff Writer

Western Kentucky closed out their first week of spring practice on Thursday evening as the Hilltoppers' defensive line sat down with InsideHilltopperSports.com to talk about how the team has progressed on the field.

WKU assistant coach and defensive line coach Carson Hall, Texas A&M transfer defensive lineman Dallas Walker IV and Nebraska transfer defensive tackle Marquis Black sat down to talk about things on the defensive side of the ball.

Hall, the Hilltoppers' new defensive line coach, went in-depth on how his guys were looking after two practice periods. Hall said that there has been a lot of hard work, efficiency at executing drills and doing jobs the right way.

"We got a hard-working group. They all attack the coaching, attack the drill work and they attack it in team periods. They all work really hard, they strain through practice and they're all about doing things the hard way."

— Carson Hall

Prior to his stint with the Hilltoppers, Hall was coaching Georgia as an assistant defensive line coach, helping to lead the Bulldogs to a 29-1 record and back-to-back national championships. Hall talked about what led him to joining the Hilltoppers' program.

"I've always loved the way these guys play football. Western Kentucky has always had a great winning tradition and I love how these guys play up front."

— Carson Hall

Walker, who took a season off last year due to family matters, joins the Hilltoppers after a stint at Texas A&M.

Walker committed to Texas A&M on June 25, 2019, picking up a few minutes on the field for the Aggies in the 2021 season as he recorded three total tackles and one defended pass.

The former four-star recruiting target said he chose to roll with Western Kentucky because of the coaching and the fact that they're here to win championships.

"Just the coacher. Last year, I actually had a year off. I talked to Coach Helton and everybody in here. Obviously they're here to win championships, they don't mess around."

— Dallas Walker IV

Walker said he's loved the energy from everybody, both offensively and defensively, and likes how everybody is pushing each other to be better on the field.

Pretty much everybody, offense and defense. Everybody's just very competitive and shows a lot of effort. Everyone has also got each other's back, they're going to push you to be better."

— Dallas Walker IV

Black is another intriguing transfer addition to the Hilltoppers' defensive line, coming to The Hill from Nebraska.

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound defensive talent out of the Peach State committed to the Cornhuskers on Oct. 12, 2019.

The former three-star recruiting target said what led him to Western Kentucky was the overall competitiveness.

He added the coaching is not that much different from Nebraska because everybody has the same drive.

"Really what led me here is the competitiveness and the coaching. The coaching is really not that different from Nebraska. Everybody here still has the same drive and same competitiveness."

— Marquis Black

With Hall taking things over at the defensive line, Black said himself and the other guys have a lot to learn from his knowledge and experience on the field.

"His knowledge and of course the experience. We've all been playing football but coaches know the same as us, so we can learn anything from them."

— Marquis Black

Western Kentucky will dive back into spring practice at Houchens-Smith Stadium for week two on Tuesday.

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