Ben VanSumeren

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. By age six, he declared that he was going to be a professional football player. He attended Garber High School in Essexville, playing at different points linebacker, defensive lineman, quarterback, running back and wide receiver when needed. 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. Although initially committing to Iowa, he flipped to Michigan after receiving a late offer from them.

College career
Recruited to play fullback, VanSumeren appeared in four games for Michigan as a true freshman in 2018, preserving his redshirt status. He moved to running back in 2019, playing five games with five rushes for 20 yards and one touchdown. He moved to linebacker in 2020, playing six games but only posting seven tackles. Due to his limited playing time, he transferred to the rival Michigan State Spartans.

In his first season at Michigan State, VanSumeren played in all 13 games, but only managed to make 12 tackles. He initially entered the transfer portal in 2022, but then opted to return to the Spartans. 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. 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.

Professional career
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. He was waived on August 29, 2023 and re-signed to the practice squad. 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. On December 25, 2023, VanSumeren recorded 6 tackles while playing 36 defensive snaps in a 33-25 victory over the New York Giants.