Recruiting Report: Ben Westling (2021)

It has been a struggle for the Princeton Tigers’ football team in the last half of this decade. Since 2015, the Tigers won a total of six regular-season games. They almost matched that total in 2019. At the center – literally – of that turnaround was junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="18190" first="Ben" last="Westling"]</strong>. Westling agreed to change his primary position, and the results helped the Tigers to their best regular season since 2013. "I thought we had a good season," Westling said. "We finished .500 and won our first playoff game (since 2016)." Running the ball and stopping the run was a recipe for success in Princeton. "We had a strong running game last year," Westling explained. "Towards the end of the year, we started to throw the ball better, but we had a strong offensive line and running game. On defense, we were stout against the run. We had a solid front seven." A scheme change had Westling switching sides of the ball." "We got a new defensive coordinator and switched to a 3-4 defense," the 6’3" 285-pound athlete said. "He wanted a big nose guard to take up blocks and get penetration. It was the first time I started on defense since fifth grade. I had been playing center and tackle since sixth grade." It did not take long, but the position change took some time for Westling to get up to speed. "It took me a couple of series to knock the rust off," Westling admitted. "At the beginning of the year, I always wanted to stay on people like an offensive lineman. Then I started ripping and stuff to try to get off blocks. That was the hardest transition – to get my brain to say, ’get off this person.’" Westling quickly became a force in the middle of the Tigers’ defense. "I think my strengths are getting penetration and taking up blocks for the linebackers. I can get my hands onto guys and rip off of them." Westling, who enjoys water sports and hunting, was one of the team’s most versatile players. "I started one game on offense, but I played every position on the offensive line. I would fill in here and there when we had injuries or to give guys a break." With his lack of experience on defense, Westling’s offseason focus should not surprise. "I would like to get quicker off the ball and develop a better pass rush. I have been working hard on those two things. Last year I came out in some passing situations. I don’t want to do that next year." To improve those skills, Westling has put more work in than in any previous year. "I was in the weight room in the winter. I focused on my upper body. I have added about 80 pounds to my bench press. I didn’t take the weight room all that seriously until this offseason." When Covid-19 hit, the junior was able to keep much of that work going. "I have a bench and some dumbbells at home," Westling told prepredzone.com. "The gym I work out at sent me a workout program I could do at home." One of the players featured in our earlier <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/06/under-the-radar-21-defensive-tackles/">Under the Radar series</a></span>, Westling, expects to have a more significant role as a senior. "I am probably going to be playing both ways full-time next year. We only have two starters returning on the o-line." Maybe because of the position change, Westling has not received the recruiting interest he hoped for. "I have had a couple of schools reach out – not as many as I would have liked, but I think this year will be a different story after the adjustments I made to my game. Sioux Falls and Moorhead have reached out at the DII level, a couple of NAIA schools and River Falls and Concordia-Moorhead have contacted me." Westling said the schools he has talked to like his combination of size and quickness. With a full season at nose tackle now behind him, a big senior season is sure to ramp up his recruitment – possibly on both sides of the ball.