Ben VanSumeren felt like he was in high school again.
After three seasons in Michigan, the linebacker entered the transfer portal on February 12 and had coaches from around the country calling him.
VanSumeren initially planned to take about a month to choose a new school, but reviving the recruitment process aged quickly, so he made a decision Friday night and on Saturday announced his commitment to the state of Michigan.
“I think I found the best place,” he said. “I didn’t think there would be a better fit for me. I think it’s a perfect fit for me. I’m not kidding, I’m ready to work and closed. “
Indiana, Arizona, West Virginia, TCU, Northwestern and Missouri were the other schools that VanSumeren was also considering. Moving from corn and blue to green and white is not a common occurrence, although former Michigan state linebacker Edward Warinner moved to Michigan last January. VanSumeren said there was no problem welcoming Warinner and does not believe that changing sides in the rivalry will be a problem for him, even after growing up as a Michigan fan. However, VanSumeren, a graduate of Essexville Garber High School, knows that some will take a different view.
“I don’t think it’s strange,” he said. “It is a business decision, it is what I have to do, it is what is best for me. I know that the media wants to exaggerate to do what it is with rivalry. I’m fine with that. I have no problem being the villain. “
VanSumeren, a former three-star candidate and former Iowa committee, signed a contract with Michigan’s 2018 recruiting class as a defender. He appeared in four games as a freshman, but kept a redshirt and had nine runs for 20 yards and a touchdown in five games the following season.
After two seasons in the attack where VanSumeren said he was used more as an H-back or tight end than a true defender, he switched to the linebacker. He had seven tackles this season while playing all six games and starting two as an external linebacker.
“The change wasn’t really as much as you originally thought,” said VanSumeren, who played linebacker in high school. “I am a player, I was once a player. I think I got it pretty quickly. … I think I’m a real linebacker now. My skills are refined and I should have no problem getting things right. “
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh reshaped his team in the off-season, including firing defensive coordinator Don Brown and replacing him with former Baltimore Ravens assistant Mike Macdonald. VanSumeren decided to enter the portal when the prospects for his position as an external linebacker changed.
“We are not really using it this year,” he said of Michigan’s defense. “It really took me about a week with the new team to realize that their only plan is to use me to run on specific casualties. … I just found out that I’m a low-cost guy. I know my value, I know I could choose a place that gives me the opportunity to eat on an all-time basis and I will not sell myself short. “
After entering the portal, VanSumeren said the state of Michigan, like most schools, got in touch within hours. He preferred to be close to home, but that was not a deciding factor. The goal was to find the right fit and that with the Spartans.
“It was really a place that will allow me to achieve all my goals – to play immediately, to do my thing as a linebacker,” said VanSumeren. “I felt like I was an internal linebacker, they are going to give me the opportunity to do that. And I love the coaching staff and I trust these guys. I think the program is on the rise. “
VanSumeren said that since joining the portal, he has spoken every day to Michigan State coach Mel Tucker, who has been looking for aggressive transfers after his first season leading the program. Michigan State had six transfer additions in the middle of the year in January and VanSumeren is one of the other three scholarship transfers committed, but the only linebacker among them is a point where Spartans are limited.
Senior Antjuan Simmons was the team’s main linebacker, but he will not use the extra season of eligibility that the NCAA has granted to all autumn sports athletes and entered the NFL draft. Junior Redshirt Noah Harvey, who started all seven games this season, and the second year of redshirt Chase Kline, who was the best substitute, are the only two linebackers on the team with defense experience. Michigan State is also coming out of its first season with a 4-2-5 under new defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton.
“They see me fitting into one of those internal points,” said VanSumeren. “I think I’m an internal linebacker. They watched my movie, they liked it, they think I’m an internal supporter. About half of the other schools really saw me as a top rusher, an outside player, and that was not something I was really interested in doing. This is a place that will really give me a place to thrive and do what I feel comfortable doing. “
VanSumeren is back home in Bay City, but still taking classes in Michigan with the semester scheduled to end in late April. He plans to enroll in Michigan State in May and is now focused on training.
“It’s really just getting my mind right, getting my body right,” said VanSumeren. “I should meet with the coaches at Zoom and get used to the manual. I’ll be ready to go in the summer, when I’m bouncing and running. “
VanSumeren, who is six feet tall and 250 pounds, plans to play at around 245 pounds in the fall. He also believes that his speed was forgotten and pointed out the 85 catches he had as a receiver in the last year of high school.
“I really don’t like the whole narrative of the converted defender, that’s not me,” said VanSumeren. “I am an athlete. I ran a 4.56 (40 yards) last year in the spring with 250 pounds and I’m getting faster. I am planning to operate a 4.4 before playing on campus in May. “
VanSumeren was previously set to be a college teammate with his younger brother Alex VanSumeren, a four-star defensive tackle in 2022 in Essexville Garber. However, Alex withdrew from the Wolverines the day before VanSumeren entered the portal. There is still a chance that they will join in East Lansing, but the Spartans have many competitors recruiting Alex. VanSumeren said his younger brother is in contact with Alabama coaches daily and noted new teams, including Clemson.
“In fact, he’s just going to do his own thing, he’s his own guy,” said VanSumeren. “He has to choose the best fit for him. If it’s MSU, it’s MSU. “
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