For graduate linebacker Will Beesley, the decision to transfer to Butler after spending four years at Princeton was easy after a visit in January.
Following a successful high school career in Michigan, which saw Beesley bring home a state championship in his senior season, he did not play at Princeton immediately. However, by his senior season, Beesley appeared in every game for the Tigers and had 23 tackles over 10 games — including five tackles against Cornell.
While Beesley was not able to complete another season of football at Princeton because of the Ivy League’s rules prohibiting graduate students from participating in athletics, he did have an opportunity for a free transfer, which he chose to exercise this year.
Beesley compared his transfer to Butler as being very similar to his initial Princeton commitment.
“Coming out of high school, I got recruited by a lot of the Ivies [and] a handful of MAC schools,” Beesley said. “I ended up going to Princeton and had a really special time there … I realized there were a lot of similarities between Princeton and Butler. I felt at Butler, I was able to win at the highest level of collegiate athletics and also [continue to] get a world class education.”
When Beesley visited campus for the first time in January, he connected well with head coach Kevin Lynch. In addition to walking away impressed with the coaching staff, Beesley recalled the help from faculty members. He credited the work from JJ DeBrosse, director of graduate and professional recruitment in the Lacy School of Business, in ensuring that the transition from undergraduate work at Princeton to the graduate program at Butler was as smooth as possible.
However, Beesley is not the only newcomer to the defensive side of the ball this year, as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jared Heck is also in his first year working with the Dawgs. Alongside senior linebacker Mason Armstrong — who has been with the Bulldogs his entire career — Beesley has brought a pantheon of experience to the linebacker room.
Heck highlighted the importance of bringing in an accomplished player like Beesley.
“[Beesley] is a guy who knows what it takes to play at the college level,” Heck said. “It is always nice to be able to add that to the [linebacker] room for the younger guys and even the older guys … He easily relates to the [team] so it has been an easy transition for him and as a coach, it is great to have another smart guy [in] the linebacker room.”
Beesley hopes that his lone year on the field for the Bulldogs is not just a successful one individually, but that his work in pushing coach Lynch’s mentality helps younger players find success in the future.
“Being an impactful player on the stat sheet is one thing, but leading the younger guys and leading a program is another,” Beesley said. “Coach Lynch always talks about [how] the program is bigger than [us] and that is something that [has] to continue day in and day out. It starts with the older guys leading those younger guys and showing them how to work hard and what it takes to win games in college football, because it’s not easy.”
Since Beesley arrived on campus, coaches have praised his leadership and the work that he and Armstrong have done to help the rest of the linebackers grow as football players and members of the community.
“I think [the linebacker] group likes being around each other, which is important and carries over to the field as well,” Heck said. “The tighter you are as a group, the more you are willing to go to bat and lay it all out on the line [on] Saturday. It has been really cool to see how close they are and how they care for one another.”
Caring for teammates on and off the field is something Beesley takes to heart. The linebackers on the team have grown tighter together because of the work Beesley and Armstrong have put in to help the position group feel welcomed, starting with a weekly dinner.
“[We want] to bring them along [and make] sure they are included,” Armstrong said. “[The underclassmen] are just guys like we are and I want to make sure that they feel as good as they can about the program. When [Beesley and I] leave here, we want to be able to come back and watch the guys ball out. That is something that would mean a lot to us.”
On the field, Beesley has made an immediate impact. Through three games this season, Beesley has 21 total tackles, the most on the team. Additionally, Beesley has one interception and one pass breakup — both of which contributed to the Bulldogs’ victory over Georgetown College on Aug. 29.
Heck highlighted the Georgetown game as one moment when Beesley helped the Dawgs battle through adversity, determined to help the team succeed after Armstrong was forced to leave the game at the end of the first half.
Beesley has also shown his strong work ethic when he faced some adversity himself, struggling with an injury during training camp. Additionally, his adaptability and belief in the program are an example to the rest of the linebacker room about the standard Heck wants to set.
“It’s important to set a standard no matter who we’re playing,” Heck said. “When you have good people in the program, they want to see the success of other people. Our mentality is ‘leave it better than you found it’ and [Beesley] makes sure that the guys understand the importance of that.”
Along with praise from coaches, Beesley has also garnered high recognition from his teammates — including Armstrong. A key to both players’ successes is their mutual desire to keep pushing and learning from each other.
In addition to the support he received from Armstrong, Beesley recalled the days immediately before training camp as very special to him because of how welcoming all of the captains were, especially to a player they had known for less than a week.
“There [are] so many moments that [have been] so instrumental for me in my football journey,” Beesley said. “But specifically here at Butler, I remember we had the Wednesday off before our captain’s practices in the summer and the guys invited me to come hang out on Tuesday night because we had Wednesday off. We just hit it off and it felt like home.”
While Beesley has only been with the team for a few months, his love for the game of football has been rekindled because of the strong bonds he has made with his teammates.
“The guys just welcomed me in with open arms,” Beesley said. “I am forever grateful for them because I haven’t had this much fun playing football in a long time.”
Armstrong believes the addition of Beesley to the locker room and the mentality Beesley has will result in the Dawgs first Pioneer Football League (PFL) title and FCS playoff berth since 2013.
“We are really happy to have him,” Armstrong said. “[Beesley] is a dog and ready to go win the PFL this year.”