The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/917835
60 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2018 COMMITMENT PROFILE Essexville (Mich.) Garber three-star athlete Ben VanSume- ren managed to fly under the ra- dar for much of his recruitment. The 6-3, 235-pounder was once a Western Michigan commit, but picked up some bigger offers after blowing up at some camps throughout the summer. Air Force, Cincinnati, Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota and Mis- souri all came calling after he posted the top overall rating at the Nike Opening Regional in Cleveland, which earned him a spot in the top 10 on the na- tional leaderboard. At the event, he posted a 4.76 laser-timed 40- yard dash, a 4.03 shuttle and a 40-inch vertical jump. The Iowa offer intrigued Van- Sumeren, and he ended up com- mitting to the Hawkeyes in early November. He was very content with his pledge and planned to sign with the Hawkeyes during the early signing period — then Michi- gan offered Dec. 14. "Coach [Jim] Harbaugh said that they always wanted to take a full- back on scholarship in this class," Van Sumeren explained. "He actually said that they never even saw my film before so that's how the offer came about. "Once I got the offer I decided that I had to take an official visit at Michi- gan. I feel like I would've regretted it if I wouldn't have, so that's what I did. I was impressed by everything they had to show me, and now I'm committed." It didn't shock many people when VanSumeren flipped to the Wolver- ines. He's an in-state kid, ranked as the No. 15 player in Michigan and the No. 37 athlete nationally, and he has a long history of family ties to U-M. He announced his commitment on Twitter and included a photo of him- self as a young boy sporting a No. 20 Mike Hart jersey in front of Michigan Stadium. The choice was not difficult for the versatile athlete. "I've always wanted to stay closer to home if I had that choice, and Michigan obviously checked the box there," VanSumeren said. "My mom went to Michigan, and I've been a Michigan fan my whole life. "I was looking for a school with good academics and a place where I could hopefully play pretty early, and Michigan re- ally did check all of those boxes, for sure." What was difficult for VanSu- meren was decommitting from Iowa. "It was definitely tough," he said. "I have so much respect for Coach [Kirk] Ferentz and the whole coaching staff and fan base at Iowa. "In the end I just treated it like a business decision, and it's my life. I just know that Michigan is best for me in the long run." VanSumeren is very excited to get to Michigan next sum- mer and should be able to carve out a nice role for himself even as a freshman. Fellow fullback Ben Mason did that in 2017, and VanSumeren believes he and Mason will form a nice duo in the backfield in Harbaugh's system. "The coaches think that I'll play fullback/H-back and that I could possibly play defense, too," VanSu- meren explained. "A lot of schools have been looking at me for that, and they said they'd look at me there." "They told me that Ben is more like the hammer guy in the offense, which makes sense. They think that I'm pretty versatile and can move around a little more. "They think I have good hands and plan to get me going in the passing game. They said that Khalid Hill and Henry Poggi averaged around 20 plays a game last year each so there's playing time there for both of us. Me and Ben will be the only people at the fullback position on scholarship." As a senior at Garber, VanSumeren did a little bit of everything. He com- pleted 11 of 25 passes (44.0 percent) for 249 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also carried the ball 54 times for 387 yards and six touchdowns. He really stood out as a receiver, reeling in 85 catches for 1,259 yards and 13 touchdowns. He earned a spot on The Detroit Free Press Divi- sion 5 All-State team and was named the Division 5-6 Player of the Year for the state by the Associated Press. On defense, he recorded 43 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack. — Brandon Brown FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Ben VanSumeren is extremely athletic and very versatile. He has good speed and great strength, loves contact and is an absolute gym rat. He'll arrive at Michigan ready to go and will be virtually impossible to keep off of the field as a freshman. Areas Of Improvement: Because he's done so many things in high school, he'll really have to hone the skills necessary to be an effective fullback in college. Pass blocking will be priority No. 1. Learning the scheme and system in a com- plicated pass offense will also be very different from anything he's ever done in high school. Michigan Player Comparison: Because of his contact courage, size and build, versatility on both sides of the ball, and even his name, VanSumeren compares favorably to Ben Mason. The two of them should make for a very interesting duo in the Michigan backfield starting next fall and will give running backs coach Jay Harbaugh a lot of options in all types of situations. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Rivals.com ranks VanSumeren as the No. 15 prospect in Michigan and the No. 37 athlete nationally. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM U-M Flips In-State Athlete Ben VanSumeren Away From Iowa