Westling was born on July 2, 1987 in Newport Beach, California.[1] The son of a football coach, he played as a lineman for much of his youth due to his size, switching to quarterback as a freshman.[2] Westling attended Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo, California, where he was a three-year letterwinner in football under his father, who was offensive coordinator at the time.[2][3] He suffered a broken leg ahead of his junior season and returned in time for the playoffs, albeit with diminished mobility.[2] In the first game of his senior year, Westling passed for a school-record 482 yards and five touchdowns against El Toro High School.[2] As a senior, he completed 216-of-350 passes for 2,988 yards and 28 touchdowns with nine interceptions,[4] and rushed for 124 yards and seven touchdowns, to lead the county in passing (over Mark Sanchez) and win Sea View League MVP honors. Westling guided the Wolverines to a 10–2 record and an appearance in the CIF quarterfinals.[5] However, he was under-recruited after missing his junior season due to injury.[6][7] On February 15, 2005, Westling signed a National Letter of Intent to play college football at Tulsa,[5] which he chose over Idaho.[8]
College career
As a freshman at Tulsa in 2005, Westling took a redshirt season. He appeared in three games in 2006 and completed his only pass attempt for 37 yards,[7] a screen pass to Dexter Taylor in a win over Stephen F. Austin.[9][10] After seeing limited playing time with the Golden Hurricane, Westling transferred to Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California.[11] In his lone season with the Jaguars in 2007, he completed 173-of-325 passes for 2,087 yards and 14 touchdowns with 12 interceptions,[7] earning second-team all-Foothill Conference honors.[12] Westling played under the guidance of head coach Ed Carberry, who was both a high school teammate and a coaching rival of his father's.[7]
In November 2007, Westling committed to San Diego State.[13][14] Ahead of the 2008 season, he completed 14-of-26 passing attempts for 260 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in the Red & Black spring game.[15] However, Westling was beaten out by redshirt freshman Ryan Lindley for the starting job.[16] He replaced an injured Lindley in a road defeat at TCU in early October, completing six-of-17 attempts for 61 yards.[17] Westling earned the start the following week and completed 18-of-35 passes for 128 yards with two interceptions in a 35–10 loss to Air Force.[1][18] He also scored a one-yard rushing touchdown, becoming the first Aztec quarterback since 1997 to rush for a touchdown in his first career start.[19] As a senior in 2009, Westling again substituted an injured Lindley and threw his first passing touchdown, an eight-yard toss to Roberto Wallace, in a 34–20 loss at Idaho.[20] In two seasons with the Aztecs, he played in seven games and made one start, completing 32-of-65 passing attempts for 270 yards and one touchdown.[21]
Coaching career
After college, Westling returned to his alma mater, Aliso Niguel High School, and served as offensive coordinator from 2010 to 2012 under his father, head coach Kurt Westling.[21][22] In 2013, he served as quarterbacks coach at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California, while doing his student teaching at a nearby high school.[21] In March 2014, Westling was hired as head football coach at Chula Vista High School.[23] He secured his first-ever win as a head coach in a 36–27 victory against rivals Hilltop High School, claiming the Kiwanis Trophy.[24] However, Westling resigned from the position after finishing the season with a 2–8 record, citing "philosophical differences" with the school's administration.[23] "They have great kids and great people at Chula Vista, and I was fortunate to get that job," he later said. "But it just wasn’t the right fit."[25] Westling spent the 2015 season at Aliso Niguel High as an assistant coach under his father.[25]
In 2016, Westling was hired as head football coach at Hilltop High School.[25] His coaching staff included former Aztec teammate DeMarco Sampson.[26] In four seasons at Hilltop, Westling compiled a record of 28–18 and led the Lancers to three straight Metro-South Bay League titles.[27] They also made four straight appearances in the CIF San Diego Section (CIF-SDS) Division III playoffs,[28] including a semifinal run in 2017 despite having to play all of their home games on the road due to stadium renovations.[29] In early 2020, Westling was hired as head football coach at Eastlake High School, where he was previously a student teacher.[27] However, he resigned just a few weeks after accepting the role due to disagreements with the school's administration.[30] After sitting out for the 2020 season, Westling was hired as head football coach at Mt. Carmel High School in 2021.[31] In his first season at the helm, he led the Sundevils to a 10–2 record, a share of the Palomar League title, and an appearance in the CIF-SDS Division III semifinals.[32][33]
Personal life
His father, Kurt, served as the head football coach at Aliso Niguel High School from 2010 to 2019, though he was offensive coordinator when Drew played.[34]
↑ Harmon, Chris (August 6, 2005). "QB battle begins". TheHurricaneAlert. Rivals.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
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