THE GRIND: West Forsyth tight end Ben Bresnahan trying to enjoy hectic recruitment

Article & photos courtesy of Forsyth County News –> Original Article Here

Ben Bresnahan stands on the West Forsyth’s football field hours before the Wolverines’ first spring practice, but his body already shows the signs of a commitment to the sport that takes him far beyond the boundaries of his high school.

Bresnahan’s arms show the evidence of the previous weekend’s sunburn, sustained at The Opening skills camp in Charlotte, where Bresnahan faced some of the top college prospects in the region. He’s bigger than he’s been in the past — and faster, he’d like to think — owing partly to a spring where he joined the track team, rather than playing baseball.

And Bresnahan’s mind is carrying the weight of an important, anticipated decision that he hopes to make by the end of the summer: where he’ll play college football.

“It gets overwhelming at times,” Bresnahan said. “But it’s just kind of fun to really learn about so many different schools and get to know different coaches.”

Bresnahan’s Division I offers have soared past the double-digit mark, and the tight end has such high-profile suitors as Tennessee, Utah, and Ole Miss.

He knows that academics are one of his top priorities, as they’ve been since he started weighing the concept of playing college football – Bresnahan is looking to go into health sciences, pre-med or a related field.

He also wants to keep the receiving-focused role that he’s played for the Wolverines and mentioned former Michigan tight end Jake Butt as a player he hopes to emulate. Bresnahan doesn’t try to avoid the blocking duties of a tight end, though, which he could see more of under new West head coach Shawn Cahill’s offense.

“I like the feel of whenever you pancake some guy,” Bresnahan said. “That’s pretty equivalent to catching a touchdown. (It’s) nice to put on highlight film, too. Coaches like that.”

He also wants to get on a campus sooner, rather than later. Bresnahan said he’s on track to graduate from West in the winter, which would let him enroll in college in time to join his team of choice for spring practices, where he can get an early start on learning the offense and bulking up to Division I playing shape.

Until then, he’ll be focused on drawing more offers and learning West’s new system. Bresnahan hopes to make it to The Opening Finals, which will be held in late June and early July at Nike’s campus in Beaverton, Oregon.

And back in Georgia, Bresnahan’s parents will be preparing for the in-home visit portion of the recruiting gauntlet.

“Yeah, my mom’s been a little stressed out about it,” Bresnahan said, “trying to clean everything up, just to get ready for that. But it’ll be fun, though.”