CHANDLER, Ariz.—Christian Westerman was too big to play Pop Warner football as a child, so he played flag football instead. Then he tried basketball, but kept knocking kids over.
He finally settled on boxing, and it was a perfect fit for him until he was old enough to play football again. Boxing taught Westerman footwork and hand-eye coordination, invaluable assets when he finally returned to football.
“God blessed him with some great ability, there’s no question,” his coach, Steve Belles, said. “He’s a mammoth of a kid, and he’s a hard worker. He’s always trying to get better.”
In three seasons at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., the 6-foot-5, 288-pound Westerman has blossomed into perhaps the best football player in the state and one of the best prospective offensive linemen in the country. He is on The Associated Press’ West Region list of top recruits.
He helped Hamilton repeat as the 5A Division I state champions last season—and the team is favored for a three-peat in 2010. The Huskies went undefeated last season for the first time in school history.
In fact, Westerman has tasted a loss just once in three seasons at Hamilton. He anchors one of the best offensive lines in the western United States with fellow tackle Tyler Johnstone.
Westerman had some 30 scholarship offers, but committed early to Texas, ranked No. 5 in the AP preseason poll. Teammate Johnstone also gave an early verbal commitment to Oregon.
Westerman became acquainted with Texas when the Longhorns came to Arizona to face Ohio State in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl and was eventually won over by offensive line coach Mac McWhorter. He said he wanted to commit early so he could focus on leading the Huskies to their third state title.
Hamilton got off to a good start in that direction when they opened this season with a 24-17 victory over Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas in the Sollenberger Kickoff Classic played in Flagstaff, Ariz. The result has led some to speculate that Hamilton may be among the top teams in the nation.
“I only get one of these kids in 20 years—a player of this ability,” Belles said told the AP about Westerman.
