LSU senior tackle Rodney Reed said center Ben Wilkerson is the quarterback of the offensive line.
“He makes all the calls for us, and he has a lot more responsibility than anybody else,” Reed said.
Wilkerson, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound junior from Hemphill, Texas, attended Hemphill High School and was rated the No. 21 overall prospect out of high school by Tom Lemming of ESPN.com. He was named an All-American by Parade, USA Today, Rivals.com, Superprep, ESPN and The Sporting News.
Wilkerson earned the starting spot at center in his freshman season when Rob Sale moved to guard because of injuries along the line. Wilkerson started the final nine games of the 2001 season, including the Southeastern Conference Championship game against Tennessee and the Sugar Bowl against Illinois.
For his efforts, The Sporting News named Wilkerson a Second-Team Freshman All-American. He also earned Freshman All-SEC honors from the Associated Press.
In 2002, Wilkerson played 620 snaps and surrendered a grand total of zero sacks. He started 10-of-13 contests, but a back injury sidelined him late in the regular season, forcing Wilkerson to miss the Cotton Bowl against Texas.
Wilkerson had offseason back surgery and has bounced back this season. He has started all 10 games at center for the Tigers this season and has 29 career starts for LSU.
LSU coach Nick Saban said it all starts on the offensive line for the LSU attack, and Wilkerson is a huge part of their success.
“I think the entire offensive line has really been the key to the last three or four games,” Saban said. “In terms of how they played, they’ve been very effective getting a hat on a hat.
“Ben is certainly a significant contributor to that, the way he’s played. I think he’s played his best football in the last few games and hopefully he’ll continue to improve.”
Sophomore tackle Andrew Whitworth said playing alongside seniors Stephen Peterman and Reed allows the younger players on the line – like Whitworth and Wilkerson – the opportunity to improve and said Wilkerson is taking advantage of that opportunity.
“I think all of us have played well,” Whitworth said. “Ben’s been playing with a lot of effort out there and [has been] playing successful. Ben’s a guy that has a lot of talent and has the chance to be a really great player. He’s been doing a lot better this year and is playing well.”
Reed said Wilkerson excels at playing center for the Tigers, even with the added pressure of being the leader of the line.
“He has to make the calls, listen for the snap count and snap the ball,” Reed said. “If we’re on the road, he calls the snap count for us so that we can hear better. Ben does a really good job of dealing with a lot of different things.”
In addition to being the leader of the offensive line, Wilkerson and LSU quarterback Matt Mauck need to demonstrate flawless execution on every snap of every game in order to be successful. Mauck said Wilkerson has done a great job at center dealing with all the pressure and enjoys working with him.
“Any time you put your hands on somebody’s butt, you’ve got to have a pretty good relationship with the guy,” Mauck said. “Ben’s a great player, he and I are friends, and he’s done a great job this year.”