Michigan picked up their first commitment of the 2022 class yesterday. Although that class is in the early stages of evaluation, the name should ring a bell: Essexville (MI) Garber defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren is the younger brother of sophomore running back Ben VanSumeren. He seems pretty likely to stick:

"It’s hard to beat when you grew up a Wolverine fan," the younger VanSumeren said. "They have world class academics, tradition rich football program, terrific coaching staff, and people. People are important."

VanSumeren The Younger lines up all over the field for his high school squad—namely DT, DE, RB, and TE—but he projects as a defensive tackle with strongside end also a possibility. He chose Michigan over offers from Kentucky and Central Michigan; more schools surely would've come calling if he'd extended his recruitment past his sophomore year. 

GURU RATINGS

Rivals	ESPN	247	247 Comp
NR DT	NR	NR ATH	NR ATH

It's way early in the process for 2022 evaluations. 247 has released a cursory top 100; that's it as far as rankings go. VanSumeren has impressed at some camps, including a Rivals-only camp, and seems like he'll have a shot at four-star status when the time comes to release complete rankings.

The younger brother is the bigger brother in the VanSumeren family. Alex is listed at 6'2"/260 lbs. on Rivals, 6'3"/270 on 247, and 6'3"/275 on his Hudl page. He's got the frame to carry 300+ pounds of good weight.

[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and the rest.]

SCOUTING

VanSumeren played varsity as a freshman and hit the camp scene shortly thereafter, catching the eye of 247's Allen Trieu at a local Rising Stars Showcase around this time last year:

Of the underclassmen, one of the most impressive was Essexville Garber's Alex Van Sumeren, a freshman who is already 6-foot-3, nearly 250 pounds, with strength and competitiveness.

Trieu also mentioned him among the top performers at the evidently different event RISE Showcase the following month:

On the defensive line, Essexville (Mich.) Garber freshman Alex Van Sumeren is a bull who blew threw some older offensive linemen with his strength.

In April, VanSumeren went down to Cincinnati for a Rivals camp that featured Penn State and Clemson commits working out on the offensive line. He played beyond his years and got a nice writeup in their subsequent "prospects now on the radar" article:

VanSumeren was surprisingly powerful for a player that measured in just under 6-foot-2 and weighed almost 255-pounds. He was really explosive and played with excellent leverage and balance. VanSumeren made the showcase portion of one-on-ones and did a really good job getting into the backfield against some of the top upperclassmen offensive linemen.

You rarely see seniors earn praise for their leverage; VanSumeren—perhaps helped in that regard by his shorter-than-average height—is already getting that as a sophomore. He may not be done growing, but even if he stays a shade under 6'2" (if he's not surpassed that yet), he can find a way to use that to his advantage a la Rob Renes or Terrance Taylor.

Both sites that have taken a look at VanSumeren released more extensive scouting reports upon his commitment. Josh Helmholdt of Rivals:

Right now, VanSumeren is stuck between a strongside defensive end and defensive tackle as he projects to college, but he still has two and a half more years of physical development ahead of him before he heads off to college and those position questions will likely clear themselves up. VanSumeren is strong for his age and had no trouble battling upper class Division I prospects when we saw him last off-season. His unceasing motor and strong work ethic are additional marks in the plus column for the young defensive lineman.

We've noted Helmholdt's habit of calling players tweeners instead of projecting a relatively normal rate of growth; I think VanSumeren is less "stuck" between SDE and DT than he is a young, developing DT who has the explosiveness to play DE for his high school team. Unless he gets a few inches taller, I'd be surprised if he played on the edge instead of the interior.

Trieu projects VanSumeren as a DT and is more effusive with his praise:

I'm sure it is music to Michigan's ears that younger brother is as big as he is and projects as a defensive tackle because we just don't seem to turn out tons of Big Ten level defensive tackles up in state or in the region. I've seen him at camps since his freshman year and he was blowing back juniors with D1 offers back then, so I am not surprised he has been a force for Garber his first two seasons. He is strong, will only get stronger, has a great motor and all of that meanness and toughness on the field you like to see in the position. I have to think he will be one of the best players in the state when he's a senior.

Given it's mentioned in every report on him, it's safe to say his greatest strength is his strength. While he plays relatively low level competition in high school, he's faced legit D-I prospects on the camp circuit and performed well even when going against kids with a couple years on him. He looks quick on film, can fire out low, and he's clearly a versatile athlete. According to his coach, work ethic won't be a problem:

“He’s come a long way,” Garber head coach Jake Coquillard said. “He was kind of a bigger version of Ben when Ben was a freshman and sophomore. Ben ended up getting very large through hard work, and Alex was kind of gifted with that right from his freshman year. His work ethic is just like Ben’s. He works hard every day, has full commitment to the weight room and is another coach’s dream as far as personality and effort and wanting to be the best.”

This is a nice early pickup, particularly as an in-state kid who shouldn't require too much continued recruited to hold in the class until he can actually sign.

OFFERS

Just the three from Michigan, Kentucky, and CMU. Again, it's really early, and Essexville isn't known as a football hotbed. Notably, Ohio State, Penn State, and Notre Dame showed interest—VanSumeren camped at ND.

HIGH SCHOOL

On that note, the VanSumeren brothers are the only Garber players to even make the Rivals database, which dates back to the class of 2002.

STATS

According to MaxPreps, VanSumeren recorded 91 tackles, 18 TFLs, 11 sacks, 25 QB hurries, two passes defensed, and a fumble recovery in ten games as a sophomore. In addition, he tallied 184 yards and a TD on 34 rushes (5.4 YPC) and 76 yards with another score on six receptions. He had 83 tackles, nine TFLs, seven sacks, 12 hurries, and a forced fumble as a freshman.

FAKE 40 TIME

None listed.

VIDEO

Sophomore highlights:

Rivals camp one-on-one film, VanSumeren has reps starting at 1:12, 2:41, 3:45, and 4:41. They're worth watching:

His opponents in those reps: 2021 four-star OG Jager Burton (offers from Bama, Clemson, the like), three-star 2020 OT Grant Toutant (Ohio State commit), four-star 2021 Cass Tech OC Raheem Anderson (offers from Michigan and LSU), and 2022 OH OT Tegra Tshabola (OSU offer/lean, also an LSU offer). VanSumeren wins reps against each of them and dominated the one guy his age. Not bad.

Freshman highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

VanSumeren looks like a future three-tech, though Don Brown seems to be moving in a direction where he eschews a true nose tackle type in favor of more mobile tackles anyway. The film and scouting reports are quite promising; it'll be interesting to see how he's ranked, because he's going to have to continue showing out at camps to overcome a lack of competition at home.

I'm not going to bother with a guess at how the depth chart is going to look when he gets to campus in 2022. Suffice it to say it will be different.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

It'll have Alex VanSumeren in it.