Eric Westerfield was hired as the special teams coordinator and defensive line coach in March of 2020. He also serves as the program's community outreach liaison.
A coaching veteran of nearly 20 years, he most recently worked at Bowdoin, where he was the defensive line coach and academic coordinator beginning in 2013. Among his recruiting areas while with the Polar Bears were Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Westerfield is familiar with and knowledgeable of the south, having been an assistant coach at The Citadel, where he helped the Bulldogs to their first winning season in 15 years during the 2007 campaign. He mentored five All-Conference defensive linemen in three seasons.
He moved to Harvard in 2002 to coach the defensive line and eventually become the recruiting coordinator. In four seasons with the Crimson, the team had three seven-win seasons and a perfect 10-0 record in 2004 when it boasted the nation's second-ranked defense on its way to winning the Ivy League Championship.
A two-year stint at Ohio Northern included seasons of 9-3 and 8-2 with an NCAA Playoffs appearance in 2000.
Westerfield coached at Methodist in North Carolina from 1993 to 2000, coordinating special teams and handling strength & conditioning, in addition to mentoring the defensive line. The Monarchs enjoyed a 7-3 season in 1998, a year after going 9-1. Westerfield worked with current Rensselaer head coach Ralph Isernia at Methodist.
A 1992 graduate of Hamilton, Westerfield was a four-year starter and two-year captain as a defensive tackle. He earned All-NESCAC First Team honors twice and was the league's Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1991 when he helped the Continentals to a 4-2-1 conference record. He earned All-ECAC twice, including First Team as a senior.
He graduated with a degree in Government.
Updated December 2020
