Ryan Van Bergen Ryan Charles Van Bergen , sometimes ( mis ) spelled Ryan VanBergen , ( born March 18 , 1989 ) is a free agent American football defensive end . He had signed as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers following the 2012 NFL Draft but did not make the roster for the team . He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines football team . As a fifth - year senior for the 2011 Wolverines he was a preseason Hendricks Award watchlist candidate and after posting at least two tackles for a loss ( TFL ) s in each of his final three 2011 Big Ten season games he was recognized as a postseason honorable mention All - Big Ten Conference performer . He started at defensive tackle for the 2009 Wolverines before switching to defensive end in 2010 . In 2011 , he started at end as well as tackle and led the team in quarterback sack s and tackles for a loss . He was awarded the 2007 Detroit Athletic Club Michigan High School Male Athlete of the Year for his performances in football , basketball and track and field . High school . Van Bergen attended Shadow Ridge High School in Las Vegas for his freshman year and started on the varsity football team . His family moved to Whitehall , Michigan for his sophomore season . He was the 2007 Detroit Athletic Club Michigan High School Male Athlete of the Year in recognition of his accomplishments in Football , Track & Basketball for Whitehall High School . He was a scholar in high school who maintained a 3 . 7 average and was a member of the National Honor Society . In track , Van Bergen competed in the discus throw . He went undefeated during the regular season of his junior year and placed 13th at the 2006 Michigan High School Athletic Association ( MHSAA ) Division 2 Lower Peninsula State championships with a throw of and 5th in the 2007 MHSAA Division 2 finals with a throw of . Entering the state finals he had been seeded 7th as a junior based on a qualifying throw of and 9th as a senior with a throw of . He qualified with these throws as the MHSAA regional champion as both a junior and senior , while also placing in the shot put . Although Van Bergen only ran a 5 . 40 second 40 - yard dash as a freshman , he got the time down to 4 . 89 prior to his senior season . Van Bergen attended the 2005 and 2006 Michigan Summer Football Camps . He was ranked as the 8th and 18th best class of 2007 high school football defensive end by Scout . com and Rivals . com , respectively . Rivals also rated him as the 10th best high school football player in the state of Michigan . ESPN . com rated him as the 13th best tight end in the country . Van Bergen was originally a recruit of Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr . College . Van Bergen made one start as a redshirt freshman for the 2008 Wolverines on October 11 against Toledo . Following the 2008 season , Michigan had to replace three starting senior co - captain defensive linemen : Terrance Taylor , Tim Jamison and Will Johnson . Van Bergen started every game for the 2009 Wolverines at defensive tackle . He totaled 40 tackles , 6 . 5 TFs , five quarterback sack s , one fumble recovery , and four pass breakups as a redshirt sophomore in 2009 . He also posted a touchdown on a fumble recovery against Wisconsin on November 14 . His mid 4th quarter sack against Indiana on September 26 , 2009 set up a 3rd and 23 , a 4th down punt and the subsequent game - winning drive in the 36 – 33 victory . As a fourth - year junior , Van Bergen started every game for the 2010 Wolverines at defensive end following the departure of defensive end Brandon Graham . He totaled 37 tackles , 8 . 5 TFLs , five sacks and one pass breakup in 2010 . Van Bergen had two solo TFLs on November 13 against Purdue and three solo TFLs in the rivalry game against Ohio State on November 27 . He achieved his first seven tackle ( five solo and two assist ) outing in the January 1 , 2011 Gator Bowl against Mississippi State . Van Bergen started at both defensive end and defensive tackle in 2011 . He was a 2011 preseason watchlists honoree for the Hendricks Award . He was named the Big Ten Conference Co - defensive Player of the Week on November 14 , 2011 for his 2 . 5 quarterback sack performance against the Illinois Fighting Illini on November 12 . In addition to the two solo and one assist sacks , he had an assist on a TFL and achieved his second seven - tackle effort ( four solo and three assist ) . Van Bergen also was recognized by the College Football Performance Awards as the national defensive performer of the week and defensive lineman of the week . The following week , he had two solo TFLs against Nebraska . In the regular season finale against Ohio State on November 26 he tallied seven tackles one more time ( five solo and two assist ) , including a solo TFL and two assist TFLs . Thus , he concluded his Big Ten career with at least two TFLs in each of his last three regular season games . He was an honorable mention 2011 All - Big Ten Conference selection by both the coaches and the media for the 2011 Wolverines . Van Bergen finished among the conference leaders in several statistics : sacks / game ( . 42 , t - 9th ) , tackles for a loss / game ( . 96 , t - 10th ) and fumbles recovered / game ( . 23 , t - 3rd ) . Professional career . Prior to the draft , the Houston Texans informed Van Bergen , that they were targeting him with their sixth round pick , but the team picked up two defensive linemen in earlier rounds ( Whitney Mercilus and Jared Crick ) . Van Bergen signed with the Carolina Panthers minutes after the draft ended . Van Bergen ' s tweet actually came one minute before the National Football League tweeted Mr . Irrelevant . Van Bergen was informed by the Panthers late in the draft that " he was their No . 1 free agent target " . Van Bergen was cut on August 31 . Personal . Van Bergen is known as a media favorite , according to " AnnArbor . com " ' s Kyle Meinke . He worked in maintenance in high school at Erdman Machine Co . , an aerospace tool manufacturer . At the time of his induction into the Michigan High School Football Association Coaches Hall of Fame , he thanked several members of his extended family including his grandparents Cliff and Gloria Verschueren and Al and Doris Van Bergen . He also mentioned his brother Tyler , who was three classes behind him and went on to play football at Grand Valley State University . Tyler went on to anchor MHSAA regional champions in the 4 × 100 metres relay ( 2009 ) and 4 × 200 metres relay ( 2010 ) . Their parents are Charles and Toni Van Bergen , from Hart , Michigan . His father , who was raised on a farm , is a retired United States Air Force veteran . Charles has eleven older siblings who are from the West Michigan region .