When it comes to college football, there’s nothing more important to the strength of your favorite school than recruiting. What’s the latest with your favorite teams from around Michigan?
What you need to know about new Wolverines commit Ben VanSumeren
On Sunday, we said it wouldn’t be long until Michigan landed a commitment from Essexville (Mich.) three-star athlete Ben VanSumeren.
It turned out to be about three hours. VanSumeren, the country’s 49th-ranked athlete, committed to the Wolverines on Sunday afternoon, flipping from the Iowa Hawkeyes just three days after landing an offer from Michigan.
HAIL 〽️ pic.twitter.com/ZAqp2Zr5mI
— Ben VanSumeren (@primetimedunkin) December 17, 2017
VanSumeren was committed to Iowa as a linebacker prospect, and Michigan made its move in part by offering him as an offensive prospect. He’ll line up as an H-back and tight end for the Wolverines. VanSumeren caught 85 passes as a senior at Garber High School.
Michigan now has 17 commitments and a class ranked third in the Big Ten as the early signing period – Dec. 20-22 – approaches. VanSumeren intends to sign on Wednesday and will enroll early with the Wolverines.
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Virginia defensive back talks interest in Michigan, Michigan State
Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) 2019 defensive back Cam’Ron Kelly holds 36 offers. Michigan and Michigan State are two of them.
“I’ve not visited either place,” Kelly told The Athletic. “But I get great vibes from both programs. Both have offered and I’m interested in learning more about them.”
For the Wolverines, it’s defensive backs coach Brian Smith – who is reportedly leaving the Wolverines for a defensive coordinator position at Rice – who was handling the early recruitment of the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Kelly. Defensive line coach Ron Burton is handling Michigan State’s contact.
“I talk to Michigan pretty much every week, so we’re developing a good relationship but I have to see what happens” with Smith, Kelly said. “With Michigan State, I really like that they have long defensive backs, guys that are hungry for the ball.”
Kelly, the country’s 13th-ranked cornerback in 2019, has plans to be “all over the place” this spring on the recruiting trail, checking out a handful of schools he’s interested in. The goal? To find the place that gives him the feeling of home he’s looking for.
“I’m looking for a place that puts my education first,” Kelly added. “Where I can grow as a man while playing the best football I can possibly play. I want to make a decision sometime next summer.”
Michigan offer excites former basketball star Ronnie Bell
When he made the decision to put aside his plans to play college basketball at Missouri State and focus on football, Park Hill (Kansas City, Mo.) wideout Ronnie Hill didn’t expect his first scholarship offer to come from Michigan.
“I had hoped something like that would happen,” Bell told The Athletic. “It wasn’t an easy decision, and took long conversations with myself and my family, but I knew that it was only right if I did what I really wanted to do.”
That’s how schools like Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State have all come across the 6-foot-1, 180-pound former point guard-turned-wideout.
“Once I got my Letter of Intent released, they reached out,” Bell said. “Jim Harbaugh offered.”
Immediately, Michigan is the favorite to land Bell, and he’ll take an official visit to the school in January.
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Another Michigan State visit for Paris Johnson Jr.
Paris Johnson Jr. is one of the country’s fastest-rising 2020 prospects. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound offensive tackle at Cincinnati’s St. Xavier High School has added scholarship offers in the last month from Ohio State, Clemson, Pittsburgh, Indiana and Michigan State.
The Spartans hosted the sophomore over the weekend.
Thank you for an AWESOME visit❕ #GoGreen pic.twitter.com/MZwbKD2Qku
— Paris Johnson Jr. (@ParisJohnsonJr) December 16, 2017
“The visit was great,” Johnson told The Athletic. “I really enjoyed having the opportunity to speak with Coach Dantonio, Coach Staten and meeting a lot of the players.”
You’d not be surprised to learn that all this recent attention has been a bit of a surprise to the currently unranked prospect.
“I’m humbled and appreciative of it,” he said of the surprise surge of attention. “I’m really just thankful for the coaching staff at St. Xavier for all their work.”
Though his father, Paris, is a former Michigan State staff member (now at Savannah State), Johnson is still trying to learn the ins and outs of the places he’s been offered by.
“I’m still learning about every program,” he said, “all schools that have offered. There’s a lot of things to learn. I’m taking it all in right now.”
(Top photo: Cam’Ron Kelly by Michael Clark/247Sports.com)