The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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"As for the football side of things, another key factor was that Michigan wanted him on offense, while Iowa — for example — wanted him on de- fense. He played a little defense for us here at Garber, but he's an offen- sive kid — that's the way he thinks a n d o p e r a t e s . He's just so good on that side of the football." Michigan head coach Jim Har- baugh already has a plan in place for how he'd like to use VanSumeren in U-M's offense, and Coquillard shared it. "They see him as a fullback/H- back tight end type of player," the Garber head coach said. "He would be off the ball. We got to meet [rising sophomore fullback] Ben Mason a few times and that kid is viewed as the hammer in their offense, so they see VanSumeren as the second full- back — they want to use him a little differently than Mason, though. " C o a c h H a r - baugh really likes the mismatches he could create lined up at fullback or even in the slot." Coquillard ex- plained that Van- Sumeren's dedi- cation and work ethic are unlike anyone he's ever coached before. "Ben is a coach's a n d a p a re n t ' s dream," he said. "He's the kind of kid who works out twice a day and goes to bed by 9 o'clock to get all the adequate rest he needs. "He's also a 3.6 [grade point aver- age] student in the classroom. Aca- demics are important to him, along with God and family." ❏ 2018 Projection At 6-3 and 232 pounds, VanSume- ren is college ready in terms of his size and strength, so it's likely he'll find his way onto the field in 2018. He may get a shot on special teams, as well as offensively in the backfield with rising sophomore Ben Mason. VanSumeren brings a little more versatility to the fullback spot than Mason does and will be a nice change of pace option when U-M comes out in two-fullback sets. DID YOU KNOW? • Born May 5, 2000. • Becomes the first player from his high school to sign with a Big Ten program, and the first ever to play at U-M. • His mother, Cindy, attended Michigan and is currently battling breast cancer, which made staying close to home even more appealing. • Grew up a U-M fan. • Ranks fifth in state history in career catches (176) and sixth in career receiving yardage (2,888). • His 85 receptions during his senior year were a state record for the regular season. • Threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns as a senior (he opened the year as the starting quarterback), while also racking up 43 tackles, including four for loss and one sack. Picked off four passes in his career. • At Nike's The Opening regional camp in Cleveland on April 9, 2017, he ran a 4.76 40-yard dash and a 4.03 20-yard shuttle. He also recorded a 40.3-inch vertical jump and a Nike+ Football Rating of 127.74, good for first at the Cleveland stop and No. 10 in the entire country. • He can bench press 225 pounds 27 times, which would have tied for 15th among all players at the 2017 NFL Combine. THEY SAID IT U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh: "One of my favorite guys is Ben VanSumeren. I like that he has a 3.6 grade point average, and I like that he gets up every day at 5:30 a.m. to get his workout in. He goes to school and then at about 5:30 at night, he gets another workout in at the YMCA. He's a heck of a baseball player, too, and a heck of a home run hitter. He's very [freshman fullback] Ben Mason-like, and is wired the same way." Garber head coach Jake Coquillard: "I really think he can be a great player at the college level. Coach Harbaugh believes he go be an H-back type player in the pros." Frankenmuth (Mich.) High head coach Phil Martin: "Offensively, he's tough to jam off the line when you're playing man-to-man against him, but is also fast enough to run right by you in the open field." MARCH 2018 THE WOLVERINE 65 THE WOLVERINE PO BOX 2331 • DURHAM, NC 27702 1-800- 421-7751 Visit our online store: TheWolverineOnDemand.com GRIDIRON III STAND BAG Item #1218 $ 179 00 BUCKET II COOLER CART BAG Item #1217 $ 199 00 ON ALL GOLF BAGS FREE SHIPPING More golf bags available online!