Manheim Twp ATH Ben Mann Committed to Yale @canes77 @benmann82

Tagged under: District 3, News, Recruiting

Billy Splain | June 18, 2019

Manheim Township DE/TE/LS Ben Mann didn’t get a chance to get to camps, the perils of being a three sport athlete.  What he DID do was camp out in the classroom. A member of the PAFootballNews.com All Academic gold team, Ben excelled in the classroom making for a perfect fit at an Ivy League school.  He chose one of the most prestigious, Yale, to continue his academic and athletic careers, committing to the Bulldogs this past weekend.

While he wasn’t recruited for a particular position, Coach Mark Evans says “they like him right now at all three positions he plays, but if he does it right he’s got the talent to be a long snapper in the NFL some day.”

We caught up with Ben and asked him about his decision:

PFN: How long have you played football?

– I have been playing football since 2nd grade. This will be my 10th season playing.

PFN: Why did you choose to commit to the Bulldogs?

– I chose to commit to Yale because I loved the coaching staff and the players seemed great to be around. The atmosphere was awesome and I loved what they had going on. My family has a history at Yale, for my grandfather played football for the Bulldogs and my sister swam there. Along with football, academics is very important to me so I’ve wanted to play football at a high academic university for quite some time. Plus, the campus at Yale is one of the most beautiful in the country.

PFN: Why commit early?

– I decided to commit early because I’ve known Yale is the place I want to be for my college career for a while, so after getting an offer at camp I didn’t even want to wait.

PFN: Who was your biggest influence at Yale, who recruited you?

– I had a few influences at Yale because of my sister and grandfather, but Coach Reno and Coach Cerins, the tight ends coach, are both great coaches that I want to play for.

PFN: What are they getting in player like you?

– I think what I bring as a player is a high football IQ and versatility. Along with tight end, I will be long snapping and I am also capable of playing defensive end.

PFN: What was the recruiting process like for you?

– For me the recruiting process began when I attended Yale’s camp last summer as an underclassman, then after my junior season I shared film, visited a few campuses unofficially, and spoke to coaches that came through my high school. Because I play three sports I was never able to attend other competitive camps or combines though.

PFN: Do you know what you’d like to study?

– I plan on studying economics or engineering.

PFN: What do you think is the most exciting thing about the Yale program?

 – The most exciting thing about Yale is playing in The Game every season against Harvard. The history as well as the future of the program is exciting, too.

PFN: Tell everyone out there in Yale Bulldog land something they’d never know about you until you told them:

– Many people have heard of my grandfather, but my mother played lacrosse at Yale for her first two years and my father played basketball and rowed crew at Yale.

PFN: Who is the person who most influenced you in your football career?

– Coach Evans has had a huge influence on my football career and is the reason I can say I will be playing college football.

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