By Caroline Domecq
LSU Sports Information
He may not always be the center of attention on the football field, but as LSU’s starting center, Ben Wilkerson is a crucial part of the Tigers’ offense.
As a senior, this position is nothing new for Wilkerson. Heading into the Troy contest, he has started 39 consecutive games for the Tigers at center, a position he has played since childhood.
“I really couldn’t pick a time when I thought it was something I could excel in, but I’ve been playing center since pee wee league football,” Wilkerson explained. “I couldn’t even tell you how I got started playing center, except that I just tried it out and it was a fit for me. I was making good exchanges with the quarterback, and over time I got really good at it and it just came naturally to me.”
He recognizes the importance of his job and the tremendous responsibility it is to be involved in every play while on the field.
“The play doesn’t start well unless you and the quarterback have a good exchange,” he said. “I wouldn’t really call it pressure, it’s just a big responsibility. We’re often called the quarterback of the offensive line because we have to make all the calls and recognize a lot of the defenses that are thrown at us. So it is a lot of responsibility, but once you’ve played it for quite some time, as long as I have, you kind of get used to it and things come naturally to you.”
As the center for Hemphill (Texas) High School, Wilkerson helped his team average 399 rushing yards a contest and 9.2 yards per carry. He earned first-team All-District, All-County and All-State honors and was named an All-American by Parade, USA Today, Rivals.com, Superprep, ESPN, and The Sporting News. He came out of high school in 2001 rated as the No. 21 overall prospect in the nation by Tom Lemming of ESPN.com and was referred to by many scouts as the top offensive line prospect in America.
Despite choosing LSU over schools in his home state of Texas, Wilkerson said his family and friends have been nothing but supportive since the day he made his decision.
“They love the fact that I’m here. All my friends and family just wish the best for me and have done that ever since I’ve been here.”
And having their blessing is very important to him, growing up in such a close-knit family environment. Wilkerson is the oldest of eight children, and he attributes that to helping him become a team player on the football field.
“I’m the oldest of everybody — the oldest child, grandchild, great grandchild — so I was able to watch everybody grow up,” Wilkerson said.
“And just having that close bond with my family, my cousins, everybody was really close. And that’s the kind of atmosphere I felt at LSU, especially when I came on my visit.
“And ever since I’ve been here,” he added, “it’s that close family bond and camaraderie with the guys that’s made the transition coming from Texas a lot easier. This is the perfect match for me.”
Wilkerson said he knew LSU was that perfect fit as soon as he was able to come to campus and witness the first-class program Nick Saban was compiling in Baton Rouge. That, and the opportunity to play with some of the other top recruits in the country influenced his decision.
“One of the main factors in my choice to come here is just being able to play with a great group of guys,” he said. “I came in with a really good class with Marcus Spears, Andrew Whitworth, Michael Clayton, Marquise Hill, and all of us had gotten to know each other really well over the recruiting process and had even gotten to play together in an All-Star game. Just knowing that I would be around those guys the next four or five years of my life was a perfect match for me.”
But, as he added, “The players were just the icing on the cake.”
“It was the whole process and my visit here, I loved it all. Coach Saban was in the process of developing a great program, and I knew that if all those guys came here and were able to be a part of this, we would be able to grow and become part of something special. And so far we’ve done that.”
The team has become something special, both on the field and off. The players have formed a close bond, and many of Wilkerson’s teammates, including offensive tackle Whitworth, have the utmost respect for him as a player and as a person.
“I’ve been with Ben for three or four years now,” Whitworth said. “I played with him in the high school All-American game, so we’ve been together for a while now. I think one of his biggest assets is his overall attitude and in the way he approaches things and works hard and always gives you his best effort in everything he does. He has a serious attitude about the things he does, and that’s something that carries over and makes him a successful player.”
Defensive end Spears also holds Wilkerson in high regard.
He said, “Ben’s a great player. He does everything well. He’s a smart guy who’s been playing center since he was a freshman. Obviously he knows what he’s doing, and he’s one of the best centers I’ve ever been able to be personable with and be around. In a nutshell, he’s just a great guy and a great football player.”
Wilkerson has been able to be something special not only as a team member, but as an individual with the stats he has compiled over the years. In leading the team to a national championship his junior season, he started all 14 games and participated in 991 plays, the second most of any player on the squad. He allowed only three sacks and was whistled for a mere three penalties all season. In 991 plays, he was credited for only 10 bad snaps.
Wilkerson has racked up quite a few individual honors as well. Some of the most recent include 2003 first-team All-SEC (AP, ESPN.com), second-team All-America (AP, Sporting News) and Rimington Trophy Finalist.
Wilkerson earned another award in 2003 for the first time — he was listed on the SEC Academic Honor Roll, something very rewarding considering all of the hard work it takes to manage both football and schoolwork.
He said college was a huge transition from high school as far as academics were concerned, but that the key was being able to manage his time.
“There’s always that transition when you get to college and you have to study a lot,” Wilkerson explained. “I had to learn how to do that, and once I got here, I started out pretty well and then went in a little slump, but this last year I was able to make the SEC honor roll. So it’s all about dedication and being able to manage your time and put the right effort into what you’re doing.”
Wilkerson’s major is general studies, but he said he has been focusing on sports marketing because of his love both for sports and for working with people.
So much of what he has accomplished, he credits to his grandfather, probably the biggest influence on every aspect of his life. He chose to wear No. 55 because of his grandfather, and much more than that, models himself after him because of the support he has shown throughout his life.
“My grandfather is the greatest guy in the world to me,” Wilkerson said. “He’s so close to me. And the story behind the number is that, what made it so special to me, when I played in high school, that’s the same school he played for and I wore his number. We have the same name — his name is Ben Wilkerson too — so I guess the number is a way that we can connect.
“He’s so special to me and he pretty much raised me. I play for him and know that he’s proud of me every play I do, and win or lose, he’s always going to support me. I love him to death, and I just hope I can continue to play hard and make him proud.”
He will continue to do so in this season, his senior year at LSU. Wilkerson said being a senior brings many different emotions for him, but mostly appreciation for what he has been able to experience and accomplish.
“It’s really a good feeling to know that you’ve put in all that hard work for all these years, and you’ve finally made it to the tip-top of your season and you’re a senior now,” he said.
“I appreciate all the years I went through, all the guys that I’ve had a chance to play with and just this whole area of my life. I’ll definitely miss it. There’s nothing like playing ball here in Tiger Stadium. I’m just trying to make the best out of my last season here and trying to do my part to help us be successful one more time before I leave.”
While he will miss the Tigers, the Tigers may miss their starting center and close friend a little more.
Said Whitworth of Wilkerson: “You definitely miss him anytime you’ve had a guy playing center for four years. It’s one of those things like we’re dealing with this year after losing (offensive linemen Stephen) Peterman and (Rodney) Reed.
“It’s something you take for granted — the success they’ve had and what they’ve given to you over a period of time. We’ll definitely miss him, miss having him in the middle and miss knowing for sure that the job will be taken care of.”
But miss it or not, this season marks the last for Wilkerson as an LSU football player.
According to Wilkerson, however, he has achieved much more in his time at LSU than many people accomplish their entire careers.
“Of course my biggest accomplishment is being a part of the national championship team,” he said. “There are not a lot of people out there in the world who can say they are national champions in something or champions in anything.
“Being able to play for such a program that was able to accomplish that goal — there’s nothing like it in the world. There’s no better feeling in the world.”