Signing Day Capsule: Ben Gedeon

One of the best athletes in Michigan’s 2013 class, linebacker Ben Gedeon out of Hudson high school in Ohio will instantly bring depth and play making ability to a position lacking adequate depth.

Ben Gedeon
Outside Linebacker: 6-2/200/NA
Hudson HS (Hudson, OH)
NR: **** - Position Rank: 14

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Ben Gedeon Video Highlights.

His Recruiting Story

Back in June of 2011, a “freak” entered Michigan’s annual football camp under the radar and unoffered. After leaving the camp, Hudson (Oh.) linebacker Ben Gedeon had a Michigan scholarship offer to his name and quickly emerged as one of the top junior prospects in the Midwest.

“It was pretty cool,” said Gedeon of his camp experience. “I talked to Coach Mattison before and he introduced me to Coach Hoke. My dad and I got to meet him before camp started and met the linebacker coach. I did pretty well in the drills, thought I did pretty well in the one-on-ones and I ended up getting offered (the day after camp), so it was pretty cool.”

Quickly making a return trip to Ann Arbor for the Wolverines annual barbecue at the big house, Gedeon was able to develop an even greater rapport between he and the coaching staff, something vital to his recruitment.

“It was great,” said Gedeon. “I got to meet a lot of the coaches, their families, and a lot of the other recruits. It really felt like family. They made you feel like you were part of it all and getting to see the campus was awesome.”

The familiarity between Gedeon and the Wolverines grew in just a matter of months, so much so that come December of 2011 when GoBlueWolverine caught up with Gedeon after his visit for the Michigan/Ohio State game, the possibility of an early decision jumped to the forefront.

On January 29th, the in-state Buckeyes came calling with an offer for Gedeon. While every scholarship is special for a recruit, the Ohio State offer resonated even greater with Gedeon who grew up a self professed fan of the scarlet and gray. Despite the excitement over the offer, Gedeon continued to list Michigan high on his list, not looking to make a decision through built up childhood fandom.

As Michigan’s recruiting class began to take shape quicker than anyone normally expects, the scholarship number at linebacker was quickly dwindled down to one. Knowing this, Gedeon had some thinking and shuffling to do.

“I won’t be making a decision tonight, but (the numbers crunch) definitely will be taken into account and could speed (my making a decision) up,” said Gedeon on March 5th, 2012.

Just over a month later, Gedeon sped up and ended his recruiting process, ultimately deciding to become a Wolverine.

"I came to the decision earlier today,” said Gedeon. “I called Coach earlier tonight and told him I came to a final decision."

"I called Coach Mattison first. I talked to him and his wife and they were really excited. They talked to my parents… It was great!"

"It’s awesome! I’ve kind of known throughout my whole recruitment that Michigan has been my #1 school. To finally get the commitment out of the way and saying ‘I’m going to be a Michigan man is just awesome.’”

GoBlueWolverine Commentary

FOXSportsNEXT Midwest Recruiting Manager Allen Trieu’s take on Gedeon:

“Smart, tough player with the athleticism and versatility to play several spots in high school from running back to tight end and linebacker. Better straight line speed than side-to-side agility, but can get to the football and does a nice a job of taking on blockers and shedding along the way. Pure football player with a throwback mentality and style.”