One of the more remarkable quarterbacking performances in a while came from Caden Veltkamp Monday. Veltkamp, who had thrown just six previous passes in his college career, came off the bench with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers down 21-0 to the Old Dominion Monarchs in the Famous Toastery Bowl in Charlotte partway through the first quarter. The Hilltoppers then fell behind 28-0 in the second quarter, but Veltkamp led a remarkable comeback, throwing for 383 yards and five touchdowns in WKU’s eventual 38-35 win.
Western Kentucky QB Caden Veltkamp entered the transfer portal but traveled and dressed for the Hilltoppers' bowl game.
He ended up being thrown in to the game down 28-0 before throwing 5 touchdowns and leading a wild comeback victory 😳 pic.twitter.com/qGhimxFgq9
— 247Sports (@247Sports) December 20, 2023
Before this game, Veltkamp’s only passes at the NCAA level were four attempts (all complete, for a total of 25 yards) in a 73-0 win against South Alabama last year and a one-for-two performance in the Hilltoppers’ regular-season finale against Florida International this year. On Monday, though, he completed 40 of 52 passes for those 383 yards and five touchdowns (with one interception) and also rushed 19 times for 53 yards.
But it was far from guaranteed that Veltkamp would get to play. He ranged from second to fourth on WKU’s depth chart, behind starter Austin Reed (who sat out this game to heal and prepare for the NFL draft) and in competition with Turner Helton (son of Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton and nephew of Hilltoppers’ coach Tyson Helton) and Bronson Baron. And Turner Helton got the start Monday, although Tyson Helton said he was “always going to rotate them” afterwards.
But what really stood out in the post-game comments were Veltkamp’s remarks on how he’s not sure what’s next for him, and how WKU had wanted him to return as a tight end next year. Here’s more on that from Jeff Nations of the Bowling Green Daily News, Veltkamp’s hometown paper:
Veltkamp, who entered the NCAA transfer portal in November, will likely explore the new options his breakout performance just created on Monday night. Staying put with the Hilltoppers is one — Veltkamp said WKU had already asked him to exit the transfer portal and stay with the program before the Famous Toastery Bowl, though not necessarily as a quarterback.
“In terms of the portal, we’ll see,” Veltkamp said. “I’m excited to go back home, go back to Bowling Green, see my people, start on my offseason program. I have no answers. They wanted me, before this game, to come back as a tight end. So if that’s still the case, we’ll see. And if not, then I don’t know. I guess we’ll see. I just really have no answers.”
That’s not necessarily as absurd as it might sound. The 6’6”, 235-pound Veltkamp certainly has size and athleticism that could let him contribute as a receiver. And before Monday, he hadn’t put down much NCAA-level tape as a quarterback (although he did shine at that level in high school, posting 2,733 passing yards and 31 touchdowns for Bowling Green’s South Warren High School while leading his team to a 14-1 record).
But the quarterbacking performance Veltkamp put together Monday should certainly have him sticking at quarterback if he wants to, whether with the Hilltoppers or elsewhere. And both Tyson Helton (who said “It’s extremely hard to come back from that kind of deficit when you’re the backup quarterback running out there, so it was pretty special to see tonight”) and Old Dominion coach Ricky Rahne raved afterwards about Veltkamp’s performance.
“I know he played because they ran the ball with him and all those sort of things, so I had seen him on tape obviously a little bit but it was mainly him as a runner,” Rahne said. “It takes a special human to week after week prepare as if you’re going to play in the game and then not play … prepare if as you’re going to play in the game and then not play … prepare as if you’re going to play in the game and then not play … to be able to keep investing that way is an incredible testament to that young man.
“I mean, I’m sure when Austin decided he wasn’t going to play there was part of him that thought that maybe I’ll get to play. And then all of a sudden, Turner was named the starter and that probably crushed him. But for him to be able to come in and do what he did, I hope his teammates really understand how difficult that it was to do what he did because you’re a quarterback. You’re not playing on the kickoff return team, you’re not playing on the kickoff team. For him, maybe he’s playing in some short-yardage stuff.”
“You have one opportunity. And for him keep doing it over and over again … and then the only time he got in was to basically be a battering ram. That says a lot about his maturity level and really how much he cares about the game of football.”
We’ll see what’s next for Veltkamp. But he definitely delivered one of the best, and most surprising, quarterbacking performances of this bowl season so far.
[The Bowling Green Daily News]
