Former Panthers Star Ben Ericksen Signs With Green Bay Packers

Updated 7 p.m. April 29

In his final year at Greendale High School, Ben Ericksen was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Woodland Conference Player of the Year and the CNI/NOW Newspapers All-Suburban Player of the Year after leading all Wisconsin players with 1,335 receiving yards and 19 touchdown catches.

Now, he’s trying to catch on with the Green Bay Packers.

Ericksen was a handful of players signed as undrafted free agents by the Packers following the 2013 NFL Draft over the weekend.

"Greendale is extremely proud to say this is where it all began for him," Greendale varsity football coach Rob Stoltz said.

Ericksen, a 6-foot, 1-inch, 200-pound free safety at Illinois State University, is still Greendale’s school record-holder in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns after being a part of three straight WIAA playoff-qualifying teams, including the 2006 Division 3 state runner-up squad.

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Not bad for a player who was initially a high school quarterback.

"Before Ben was the Ben Ericksen we remember, he was mediocre at best as a freshman," Stoltz said. "He was just a freshman kid, who wasn't in the top half (of his class). He was just average.

"When he was a sophomore, it was a coin flip whether or not he caught the ball. He became a lot more consistent as a junior, and the freak leap he made between junior and senior year is what separated him from anyone else.

"I had never seen and still haven't seen anyone like him at the receiver position. ... I'm really proud of Ben and the work he's put in."

Coincidentally, another position switch apparently put Ericksen on the Packers’ radar.

Ericksen started his college career at ISU as a wide receiver, but made his biggest impact his first two years as a kick returner. In 2010, he returned the season-opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown against Central Missouri and set a school single-season record with his average of 27 yards per return that fall.

But Ericksen did not emerge as a go-to receiver for ISU like he did for the Panthers and moved to the defensive secondary prior to the 2011 season, when he made 11 starts at free safety.

He broke out in 2012, intercepting seven passes in 13 starts en route to earning a third-team All-America nod by The Sports Network and the Associated Press as well as a spot on the College Sporting News 2012 Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team.

He was also first-team all conference.

Ericksen was one of four ISU players to sign NFL teams after the draft.

“Ben has the biggest upside of all the guys because he's only played safety for two years and has developed very few bad habits,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said on the university’s website. “He's very fast and tested off the charts at the couple of pro days and workouts he had with NFL teams. I thought Ben was going to get drafted because of those testing number and he's a tremendous athlete. He had a great senior year and he can also return kicks, which could help him make the team because of the importance of special teams in the NFL.”

Ericksen’s ISU teammate, quarterback Matt Brown, was also signed by the Packers.

• Ericksen overcame adversity at a young age when his mother died of cancer while he was in eighth grade.