West Virginia University Athletics

• Has played in 35 career appearances with 16 starts

2024 (Sr.)

• Academic All-Big 12 Conference First Team honors
• Redshirted
• Saw action in two games before sustaining a season-ending lower-leg injury against UAlbany

2023 (Jr.)

• College Sports Communicators Academic All-District
• Academic All-Big 12 Conference First Team
• All-Big 12 Conference Honorable-Mention (Coaches)
• Started all 13 games at defensive tackle
• Big game against North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, including six tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss
• Finished with two solo tackles, including a sack at Baylor
• Assisted on two tackles at Oklahoma
• Assisted on a sack at Houston
• WVU Blue Collar Award (Houston, TCU, Texas Tech, Duquesne)
• Totaled four tackles and assisted on a sack at TCU
• Registered a career-best seven tackles, including three solo stops against Texas Tech; also added a tackle for loss
• Posted one solo stop in the Pitt game
• Assisted on a tackle against Duquesne and a pair of tackles in the season opener at Penn State

2022 (So.)

• Academic All-Big 12 Conference First Team
• Played in 12 games at defensive tackle
• Used on 242 defensive plays, including a season-high 38 plays at Texas Tech
• Finished with 10 tackles, including one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries
• Two solo tackles against Towson and two tackles against Texas
• Assisted on a sack at Texas and at Oklahoma State
• Had tackles for loss at Texas and against Towson

2021 (Fr.)

• Played in eight games at defensive tackle and started one
• Saw action on 125 players, including 112 defensive snaps
• Season-high 23 defensive plays against Iowa State
• Solo tackle at Kansas and assisted on one tackle against six other opponents.
• Finished with seven tackles for the season and assisted on a tackle for loss against Texas
• Enrolled at WVU in January 2021

High School

• Played defensive line for coach Mikko Koikkalainen with the Helsinki Roosters
• Can play on the edge or the interior
• Played for the Helsinki Roosters and Finnish Senior National Team
• raveled to the United States in 2019 with Brandon Collier of PPI Recruits during the DreamChasers Tour
• 2019 Finland Men’s National League Lineman of the Year and all-star (DL)
• 2019 MVP of Finland Men’s National Team game against Demark
• Attended camps in Germany in 2019
• Runs a 4.75 40-yard dash
• Helped lead the Finland National Team to three national championship tournament appearances
• In 2019 at the U19 European Championship, was the tournament statistic leader, finishing with 17.5 tackles, including 4.0 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss
• In 2018, helped lead Finland to a third-place finish at the men’s European championship
• Played in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in the International Bowl for Finland U19 Team Nordic against Team USA U-19 select
• Member of Helsinki Rooster Football team that was ranked No. 3 in Europe by AFI
• Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals and 247Sports
• No. 1 recruit from Finland
• No. 89 strong-side defensive end nationally by 247Sports
• Spent time serving Finland’s mandatory military service
• Participated in tennis and track & field (400m, shot put)
• Also offered by Coastal Carolina and Massachusetts

Personal

• Son of Seppo Vesterinen and Iveta Aaltonen
• One of four children (3 brothers)
• Graduated with a bachelor's degree in business in December 2024
• Pursuing a master's degree in sport management
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll
• Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll