Born: March 8, 1999 — Vernon, B.C.
Entering 2025:  Years as a Lion: 5th   Years in CFL: 5th  Status: National
Career Games: 64   Playoffs: 4    Grey Cup: 0

Acquired:

The BC Lions selected Ben in the third round (22nd overall) of the 2021 CFL Draft. He signed a two-year extension with the team on February 6, 2024, that keeps him in black and orange through 2025.

Highlights:

2024: Despite dealing with an ankle injury, Ben was once again productive in his fourth season with 66 defensive tackles to tie him for third on the squad. Seeing action at both middle and WILL linebacker, Ben added three sacks, one interception and a forced fumble. Led the team with ten defensive tackles in the Western Semi-Final at Saskatchewan.

2023: Ben enjoyed his best season to date, suiting up in all 18 regular season games and becoming the first Canadian Lion in history to record 100 defensive tackles in a season. He also registered a career-high five sacks and recorded an interception in a victory at Winnipeg in week three. Suffered a knee injury early in the Western Semi-Final win over Calgary, ending his post-season.

2022: Ben worked his way into a starting role in year two as a pro and would record 65 total tackles (59 defence, six special teams) and his first two career sacks while registering nine defensive stops in two playoff games.

2021: Ben was a reliable piece on special teams in his rookie season, suiting up in all 14 games while racking up six special teams tackles and making two defensive stops in a 45-13 win over Ottawa on September 11th.

College:

2017-21: Ben enjoyed a standout career with the UBC Thunderbirds. A two-time Canada West All-Star, Canada West First-Team All-Canadian (2018) and Canada West Second-Team All-Canadian (2019), the linebacker recorded 189 total tackles (124 solo, 65 assisted), 28.5 tackles for a loss, seven fumble recoveries, six-and-a-half sacks and six pass knockdowns across 28 games.

Personal:

Ben studied psychology at UBC, who once led the Vernon Secondary School Panthers to the school’s first-ever B.C. AA Subway Bowl high school football championship and was the first Vernon provincial AA MVP in 2016.