We are officially less than 8 weeks until college football returns. Yesterday's turn in our Spotlight Series revisited the career of football lifer Kyle Murphy, and today with 55 days until the season, we stay on the offensive line with Christian Westerman.
One of the most coveted recruits to come from Chandler Hamilton High School, Westerman was ranked as the top rated high school prospect in Arizona for the 2011 class, coming in at No. 3 nationally at the offensive tackle position and No. 26 nationally for all players. Christian had recruiting interest from a number of prestigious programs, including the likes of Michigan and Alabama, but ultimately chose Auburn to start his college career.
After redshirting his freshman season in 2011 and being limited to two games in 2012 because of injury, Christian transferred home to Arizona State where he spent the majority of the season on the scout team, getting his first game action wearing the maroon and gold in the 2013 Holiday Bowl against Texas Tech.
As a redshirt junior in 2014, Westerman had the breakout season that he had been waiting for, starting all 12 games at left guard and contributing to an offense that ranked 12th in the nation in red zone efficiency (91%) and 16th nationally in scoring offense (37 points per game). He ended the season by earning All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors.
For his senior season in 2015, he once again started every game, helping open holes that allowed the Sun Devils rushing offense to roll for nearly 2,700 yards on the year. Additionally, the offense finished top 25 in the nation in first downs per game and top 30 in plays of 20+ yards. The honors continued for Christian as well, earning Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors as well as the team's Randall McDaniel Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award for the 2015 season.
Christian would move on to the NFL, being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 5th round (No. 161 overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft. Over his three year NFL career he appeared in 16 games, making the only two starts of his career in 2017.
He may not have been a career Sun Devil, but Christian Westerman played a large role in the peak years of the Todd Graham era, earning him today's spot in our Spotlight Series.