Ben Mason Goes Blue

This evening in a ceremony at Cover Two restaurant in Sandy Hook, Conn., Newtown High School linebacker Ben Mason committed to the University of Michigan. The 6-3, 230-pounder picked the Wolverines over nearly 20 contenders, with Wisconsin, Cal, Harvard, and Navy among the most serious competitors.

Mason, a three-star and the No. 4 prospect in Connecticut, led his Newtown team to a 10-2 record as a junior, making a team-leading 113 total tackles, 11 of them for loss with four sacks. He also intercepted four passes - returning three for scores - and recovered one fumble. On the other side of the ball, Mason ran 43 times for 231 yards (5.4 per carry) with six touchdowns, and caught 24 passes for 416 yards and another nine scores.

He is a true middle linebacker prospect, and the first to commit to U-M's 2017 class, given that Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's four-star Joshua Ross is capable of playing both inside and outside.

• The people in Ann Arbor were the difference.

• See Mason's junior highlights here.

• See the impact Mason will have on Michigan's 2017 class and program.

• Take a look at the Michigan recruiting class and Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings with Mason in the fold.

• See clips from Mason's positional MVP performance at The Opening regional in New Jersey over the weekend.

• Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman breaks down what Mason will bring to the Maize and Blue.

Stay tuned for much more on Mason's commitment.