Ben VanSumeren is embracing the switch from linebacker to fullback: ‘I want to be the best at something’

Ben VanSumeren’s transition from chasing down running backs to clearing the way for them hasn’t been as difficult as one might expect.

Midway through his first training camp as a full-time fullback rather than his more familiar linebacker spot, the Eagles utility man said the essence of the two positions has made it feel like a natural switch.

“It’s not necessarily different in processing,” VanSumeren said Tuesday after practice. “Picking up the offensive information is a little different, the terminology is different than the defense, but at the end of the day, fullback is a physical position, and linebacker was, too. So that’s ultimately what it comes down to.”

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VanSumeren’s fullback experiment started nearly a year ago with some sparing snaps with the offense to go along with his daily work as a depth linebacker and special-teams ace. Undrafted out of Michigan State, he made the team’s initial 53-man roster in 2023 and has played roughly 75% of the Eagles’ special teams snaps over the last two seasons because of his speed and physicality at a listed 6-foot-2, 231 pounds.

The 25-year-old also played 22 offensive snaps last season as a fullback for the Eagles, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in a November practice. Upon his return to the field earlier this summer, VanSumeren said the coaches approached him about potentially making a permanent switch to offense.

“It’s just another thing we can do,” offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said last month. “So, the more you can stress the defense, the better you are. And we’ve done a little bit of it and we’ll just kind of continue to expand upon that package and see where we can take it because Ben is a really good athlete. I don’t think people realize how good of an athlete he is.”

After spending last season splitting time between the two position groups, VanSumeren said he was eager to major in one area instead when the staff approached him with the idea.

“I want to be the best at something,” VanSumeren said. “If that’s linebacker, then I want to play full-time linebacker, if that’s fullback, then I want to play full-time fullback. And then I was told I was playing full-time fullback.”

VanSumeren missed a few practices over the weekend with an ankle injury but returned Monday and has been listed as a limited participant in each of the last two sessions. And while his new position has some crossover between running backs and tight ends, he goes through individual drills with Eagles running backs coach Jemal Singleton. VanSumeren said he also attends Singleton’s meetings, noting that the Air Force veteran, who also coached at the Air Force Academy, has extensive experience working with fullbacks.

The byproduct, VanSumeren said, is a more thorough installation process compared to what he did last year as his role in the offense progressively grew by midseason.

“Last year was just trying to get the install from week to week and the game plan,” VanSumeren said. “Here, we really get to install from the beginning. The detail is different. It’s more detailed, and I get more work, more time with my position coach day to day.”

Aside from the on-field adjustments, VanSumeren said he spent the offseason preparing for the new role by putting on extra weight. Mostly by adding a lot more red meat and dairy to his diet, he said he’s now closer to 244 pounds, up 13 pounds from his official listed weight last season.

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“I went to the chefs and told them I needed a few extra meals,” he said.

Even with the extra size to help his blocking, VanSumeren is hoping to expand his contributions to the offense beyond just clearing space for the Eagles running backs. He started his football career as a receiver and set a Michigan high school state record for regular-season receiving yards, and would like to get a few chances to catch the ball with the Eagles this season.

“I want to open up as a receiver and a runner as well,” VanSumeren said. “I know that the fullback position to begin with is being physical at the point of attack and being a lead blocker. That’s what I was able to do last year and obviously that needs to continue, that’s the base of the whole position. But I want to open up more so and show myself as a runner and a receiver as well.”