Coach Summers arrived at Western Kentucky in January of 2022 expecting to serve as a defensive assistant and coach safeties. That quickly changed with in February, WKU’s current defensive coordinator left, and Head Coach Tyson Helton promoted Summers to serve as the team’s new defensive coordinator. Summers didn’t blink, and quickly got to work putting together one of the best defense’s in the entire country. Through 10 games this season, the WKU defense leads the nation in forced turnovers (24) and defensive touchdowns (5). Two of Summers’ defensive backs in Kaleb Oliver and Kahlef Hailassie have won Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week honors, and several Hilltoppers on the defensive side of the ball set new season and career highs in various statistical categories each week of the season. The WKU defense earned a shutout against FIU early in the season, and has held its opponents to 20 points or less in half of its games this year.