WKU Football head coach Mike Sanford announced Thursday the addition of wide receiver Cameron Echols-Luper to the Hilltopper program for the 2017 season as a graduate transfer.
The Ennis, Texas, native played at TCU during the 2013 and 2014 season before transferring to Arkansas State, sitting out the 2015 season and competing in 2016 for the Red Wolves.
Named by Sporting News as the Fastest Receiver in the Sun Belt and mentioned by NFL.com as a 16-for-16: College Football’s Most Freakish Athletes, Echols-Luper comes to The Hill as a multi-dimensional threat on the field. In his three-year career, he has accumulated stats at a handful of positions:
- 39 receptions for 500 yards and one touchdown
- 54 punt returns for 560 yards and one touchdown
- 5-of-7 pass attempts for 174 yards and two touchdowns
- 4 punts for a 34.8-yard average, including a long of 68
Last year, Echols-Luper had 26 receptions for 407 yards and a touchdown, helping lead ASU to an 8-5 record and a 31-13 victory over UCF in the 2016 AutoNation Cure Bowl. The wide receiver caught at least two passes in 9-of-13 games, and had three receptions for a career-best 121 yards – including a career-long 58-yard touchdown catch – against rival Central Arkansas in Week 4 of the season.
At TCU, Echols-Luper was utilized primarily as a punt returner. In 2014, he returned 33 punts for 349 yards for an average of 10.6, which ranked fourth in the Big 12. Down 27-24 in the third quarter against Kansas, he took one 69 yards to the house to give the Horned Frogs a lead they would hold for an eventual 34-30 win. On the afternoon, he had three returns for a total of 86 yards, and he was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week and CFPA National Punt Returner of the Week for his performance.
TCU had a 12-1 record that season and defeated No. 9 Ole Miss 42-3 in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. The Horned Frogs finished as the No. 3 team in the nation in the final AP and Coaches’ Polls.
In his 2013 rookie campaign, Echols-Luper had 15 punt returns for 187 yards for an average of 13.4, which ranked third in the Big 12, including longs of 51 yards vs. SMU and 41 yards vs. Baylor. He earned Second Team All-American Honors as a punt returner by Phil Steele that year. Showing his versatility, he also went 2-of-2 on pass attempts for 49 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown toss vs. Texas for TCU’s lone score of the day.
As a senior in the Class of 2013 from Auburn High School in Alabama Echols-Luper was rated as the No. 7 wide receiver in the state and No. 131 in the nation by FOX Sports Next and Scout.com. A three-year starter, he passed for 1,036 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior with 898 yards rushing with seven scores while leading the Tigers to the Class 6A quarterfinals.
(Courtesy of WKU Athletics)