Western Kentucky coach Mike Sanford announced Wednesday that sophomore quarterback Steven Duncan will be suspended for Hilltoppers’ opening game Aug. 31 at Wisconsin.

“(Duncan’s) a great young man. (Duncan’s) very committed to this football team,” Sanford said. “Clearly, he had a goal in mind of winning the starting job going into the Wisconsin game. We have to make plans for our football team and opening the game at Wisconsin it changes some things from that dynamic.

“But by no means does it banish (Duncan) from our view of him as a quarterback. I did make it very clear that this type of off-the-field incident is gonna carry a heavy suspension, which is the opening game – a game that many on our team wanna have a chance at being a part of.”

Duncan, 19, was charged with driving under the influence April 22. The Summerville, S.C., product played in one game in 2017 after redshirting in 2016.

A 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-handed thrower, Duncan was competing during spring practice with senior Drew Eckels for the team’s starting quarterback job.

“Going into the summer conditioning, going into fall camp, that would put (Eckels) – going into fall camp – as the guy who will be taking the No. 1 reps,” Sanford said. “We will keep everything competitive as we always do, but it will allow Drew Eckels to get the reps with the (first team) offensively line and create some continuity going into the Wisconsin game.”

EDWARDS TO TRANSFER

Sanford also announced Wednesday that center Dennis Edwards will graduate from WKU this month and intends to transfer.

Edwards has played 41 games for the Hilltoppers since his redshirt-freshman season in 2015.

“Certainly you do wish that you could have gone through spring ball with that information. That’s kind of why I alluded to the fact that you do hope that everything was done the right way in this process,” Sanford said. “You wanna see the guys up front respond to it and so far in seeing the offensive line and the way they’ve responded to it has been nothing but positive. There’s a hunger and a chip on the shoulder and a look in the eyes that they’re ready to attack this June.”

Sanford said Seth Joest, Tyler Witt, Caleb Etheridge and Cullen Reynolds will now compete to take over the void left by Edwards. A Snellville, Ga., native, Edwards started 14 games at right guard in 2016 and played right guard in 14 contests in 2015.

Edwards moved to center – his position coming out of high school – for the Tops in 2017 and was expected to stay in that role going into 2018. He worked there during spring practice alongside Parker Howell at left tackle, Witt at left guard, Miles Pate at right guard and Cole Spencer at right tackle.

“The thing that’s a little bit different, I don’t know that we have the no-doubters going into the year that we’ve had in year’s past,” Sanford said about a starting offensive line. “One thing I will say is I like the quality of the 15 young men we have is at a very improved level from recruiting that position. We’re building it the right way, not looking for quick-fixes, but looking for long-term players that are going to be here and you’re gonna end up having a very veteran line here in a year, two years, three years from now because of how things have played out.”