Ben VanSumeren

American football player

Ben VanSumeren

No. 57 – Philadelphia Eagles

Position:

Linebacker

Personal information

Born:

(2000-05-05) May 5, 2000 (age 23)
Bay City, Michigan, U.S.

Height:

6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

Weight:

231 lb (105 kg)

Career information

High school:

Garber (MI)

College:

Michigan (2018–2020)
Michigan State (2021–2022)

Undrafted:

2023

Career history

Philadelphia Eagles (2023–present)

Roster status:

Active

Career NFL statistics as of 2023

Total tackles:	13

Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Ben VanSumeren (born May 5, 2000) is an American football linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan and Michigan State.

Early life

VanSumeren was born on May 5, 2000, and grew up in Bay City, Michigan.^[1] By age six, he declared that he was going to be a professional football player.^[2] He attended Garber High School in Essexville, playing at different points linebacker, defensive lineman, quarterback, running back and wide receiver when needed.^[2] VanSumeren played best at receiver, leading Bay County in receiving for three years, including a senior campaign that saw him post a regular season state record 81 receptions for 1,259 yards and 13 touchdowns, being named by Associated Press the division player of the year.^[2] Although initially committing to Iowa, he flipped to Michigan after receiving a late offer from them.^[3]

College career

Recruited to play fullback, VanSumeren appeared in four games for Michigan as a true freshman in 2018, preserving his redshirt status.^[4] He moved to running back in 2019, playing five games with five rushes for 20 yards and one touchdown.^[4] He moved to linebacker in 2020, playing six games but only posting seven tackles.^[5] Due to his limited playing time, he committed what Michigan fans call "the ultimate betrayal" and transferred to the rival Michigan State Spartans.^[5]

In his first season at Michigan State, VanSumeren played in all 13 games, but only managed to make 12 tackles.^[5] He initially entered the transfer portal in 2022, but then opted to return to the Spartans.^[6] In his final year, he saw his first significant playing time, starting 10 of 11 games and making 81 tackles with two sacks and two pass breakups.^[6] Although VanSumeren had one year of eligibility left, he opted to accept an invitation to the East–West Shrine Bowl and declared for the NFL draft.^[6]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	231 lb (105 kg)	31 in (0.79 m)	9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m)	4.45 s	1.52 s	2.53 s	4.46 s	7.10 s	42.5 in (1.08 m)	10 ft 11 in (3.33 m)	29 reps
All values from Pro Day^[7]

Despite being projected by several sources as a pick in the 2023 NFL draft, VanSumeren went unselected; afterwards, he was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, being given a contract that included $130,000 guaranteed.^[8]^[9]^[10] He was waived on August 29, 2023 and re-signed to the practice squad.^[11]^[12] On November 5, 2023, VanSumeren was called up from the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad for a game against the Dallas Cowboys. He appeared on 10 special teams snaps. He was signed to the active roster on November 30.^[13] On December 25, 2023, VanSumeren recorded 6 tackles while playing 36 defensive snaps in a 33-25 victory over the New York Giants.^[14]

References

^ "Ben VanSumeren". Michigan State Spartans.
^ ^a ^b ^c Thompson, Lee (April 26, 2023). "When 6-year-old Ben VanSumeren said he was NFL-bound, it was more than a dream". MLive.com.
^ Thompson, Lee (December 20, 2017). "Meet Ben VanSumeren, Michigan football's better-late-than-never signee". MLive.com.
^ ^a ^b Sang, Orion (October 2, 2020). "VanSumeren finding role on the defensive side". Detroit Free Press. p. B5 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c Katz, Jason (April 20, 2023). "Ben VanSumeren, LB, Michigan State | NFL Draft Scouting Report". Pro Football Network.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wenzel, Matt (March 28, 2023). "Ben VanSumeren stuck with Michigan State and it pays off with shot at NFL". MLive.com.
^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Ben VanSumeren College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
^ Mulcrone, Aeden (March 21, 2023). "Michigan State LB Ben VanSumeren wows on-lookers at Spartans' Pro Day". Sports Illustrated.
^ Wenzel, Matt (April 20, 2023). "NFL analyst guarantees Michigan State LB Ben VanSumeren will be drafted". MLive.com.
^ Erby, Glenn (May 2, 2023). "Eagles' UDFA deal with Michigan State linebacker Ben VanSumeren is for $130K guaranteed". USA Today.
^ Spadaro, Dave; McPherson, Chris (August 29, 2023). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
^ "Eagles announce practice squad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. August 30, 2023.
^ Erby, Glenn. "Eagles announce 4 roster moves ahead of Week 13 matchup vs. 49ers". Eagles Wire. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^ "New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles - December 25th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-02-04.