WKU Football: Xavier Lane “Temporarily Removed From Roster”

Xavier Lane is no longer with the Western Kentucky football program. Well, for the time being anyway.

In this week’s weekly press conference, WKU head coach Mike Sanford confirmed what had been circling around Hilltopper fans since Saturday’s game, when the WKU IMG broadcast crew talked about it on the broadcast.

A member of the broadcast team told us:

“Not sure he’s gone, but told by a coach he would not be with team rest of year (sic) and it’ wasn’t injury related. ‘Attitude and academic issues.’”

Sanford did say that lane can return to the squad, but if what we have been told is true, it wont happen until 2019.

After catching 27 balls for 336 yards in his freshman season, Lane was looked to be a key cog in the Hilltopper machine in 2018. That has been far from the case, as he’s tallied just seven catches for 55 yards.

In a season such as the Hilltoppers have had, and looking at that statline and assuming other things, team struggling like WKU has is bound to run into some issues like this. I, personally, like that Sanford is leaving the door open for Lane to return if he wishes and only time will tell if he will.