Meeting Future Teammates

Tyler Westphal, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound, defensive end, from Menasha, Wis., was one of the first prospects to give Bret Bielema his verbal commitment. Westphal has been chosen to play in the ESPN All-American game in January and he found time in a busy schedule to make it to Madison on Saturday.

“I went to the (Washington State) game with a few buddies,” Tyler Westphal told Badger Nation.

“We got to Madison around noon and we met with staff from the recruiting department who took us to lunch. We had to pay for lunch because it was an unofficial visit but we did get a game program included with the meal.

“We took a tour of the campus and all the facilities. After that we were taken down to the field for pre-game. I talked to Curt Phillips, Peter Konz, Dex Jones, Marcus Cromartie and a few other recruits that were at the game.

“The game was great. A lot of energy in the stadium, Wisconsin definitely has the best fans in the country.

“I did get a chance to talk to Andy Kemp after the game. Andy has been a friend of mine for a few years. It was really nice to be able to go into the locker room after the game. You read about all these guys like Jonathan Casillas and P.J. Hill and now I’m going to be sharing the same locker room.”

Westphal has struck up a good relationship with fellow verbal commitment Jake Byrne. We asked Tyler if he could talk about that relationship.

“I actually talked to Jake just the other night for a couple of hours.” He said. “Jake and I met at camp and hit it off. He’s a great football player.

"We talked about the pressure he was getting from Arkansas but his family is from Wisconsin so he’s always wanted to be a Badgers.

“Jake (Byrne) is a really nice kid. We have a lot in common. I think he’s coming in for the Iowa game.”

Wisconsin assistant coach Bob Bostad is recruiting Westphal. Tyler told us that he’s in the process of setting up his official visit. Like Peter Konz, look for Westphal to be in Madison for all or most home games this season.

Menasha is currently 1-1.