94 Days 'till Football Kickoff - #94 Jake Helms

It's now 94 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, September 1, 2018, against the Newberry College Wolves, in Cullowhee.

For the season kick-off, the Cats will host a "White Out" game in E.J. Whitmire Stadium as the Cats will sport its all-white look with white Adidas jerseys over white pants and for a fourth-straight year, postgame fireworks extravaganza follows the home-opener.

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the 100-day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

Today we'll continue to highlight the defensive line:

#94 Jake Helms

Class: Junior
Hometown: Mooresville, N.C.
High School: Lake Norman HS
Height / Weight: 6-2 / 265
Position: DT

2016 (Freshman): Played in nine of the team's 11 games with a pair of starts ... Made his collegiate debut in the season-opener at East Carolina (Sept. 3) with his first career start coming in week two against Gardner-Webb (Sept. 10) ... Recorded 21 tackles including seven solo stops and 2.5 tackles for loss including a sack against ETSU (Sept. 17) at the Bristol Motor Speedway ... Posted a career-high five tackles with four stops against ETSU ... Tallied a quarterback hurry against Gardner-Webb (Sept. 10) and blocked a kick against VMI (Nov. 5) ... Credited with a tackle in WCU's annual Spring Game ... Named to the 2016-17 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Finished with 164 career tackles including 27 tackles for loss and 16 sacks ... Forced five fumbles and blocked two field goals ... Named All-North Piedmont Conference as a senior, as well as garnering all-county honors ... Two-time defensive lineman of the year ... Played in the 2012 Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl as an eight-grade offensive lineman ... High school coach was Rob McNeely ... Also participated in track & field as a prep where he holds the school record in the discus.

Personal: Is the son of Kell and Susan Helms ... His father played football at Western Carolina from 1986-90 as a linebacker ... Has a younger sister, Reagan.







Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations