Kiawan Murphy holds the NT · Starter spot in Western Kentucky Hilltoppers’s defensive tackle room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Kiawan Murphy is a nose tackle from East Hartford, Connecticut, where he lettered four times at East Hartford High School. Murphy spent four seasons at Akron, appearing in 26 games total. In 2025, his final year with the Zips, he recorded 15 tackles and one pass defended across 12 games. The prior season he contributed five tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss. Murphy joins Western Kentucky as a transfer for the 2026 season.

Akronthrough 2025

Western Kentucky2026 — present