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Texas State K transfer Beckham Sunderland commits to Michigan football

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•about 9 hours•

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Beckham Sunderland
Texas State kicker transfer Beckham Sunderland committed to Michigan Wolverines football. (Photo courtesy Beckham Sunderland / Instagram)

Michigan Wolverines football has dipped into the NCAA transfer portal for a kicker for the third straight season, this time landing Texas State transfer Beckham Sunderland.

Sunderland has limited experience as a football player, but has kicked off and attempted an extra point at the college level. He’s the nephew of former Michigan kicker and top trainer Brandon Kornblue, who told TheWolverine.com that Sunderland could also punt for the Wolverines. He’s expected to start his career as a kickoff specialist.

The Newport, Kentucky, native just finished up the 2024 season at Texas State, having appeared in two games. He registered 8 kickoffs for 530 yards (66.3-yard average) with 6 touchbacks and went 1-for-1 on extra points.

Sunderland was previously a goal keeper for FC Cincinnati, an American professional soccer club based in Ohio that competes in the MLS. According to the MLS’ website, he appeared in five matches with the organization from 2020-21. He also saw action 14 career matches with 12 starts in the MLS Next Pro, a league that features reserve players from MLS and independent clubs.

“Beckham Sunderland signed as a Homegrown Player on October 14, 2020, the first Homegrown Player signing to the first team in FC Cincinnati history,” his bio on MLSSoccer.com reads. “Sunderland joined the FC Cincinnati Academy in the program’s inaugural 2019-20 season, where he made a combined nine starts in net for the U-16/17s in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy season. Prior to joining FC Cincinnati, Sunderland spent time in the Portland Timbers and Chicago Fire FC academies.”

Sunderland attended Newport (Ky.) Sycamore High School.

The new Michigan commit’s brother — Lawson Sunderland — is a professional soccer player for FC Dordrecht, a Dutch association football club based in Dordrecht a city in the Western Netherlands.

According to Lawson, Beckham’s first name is an homage to soccer legend and current Inter Miami CF co-owner David Beckham, as revealed in the Miami Herald. Lawson played for Inter Miami CF for three years.

Sunderland is one of 14 transfers to join the Michigan football program ahead of the 2025 season. He’s the second specialist, with former UCLA long snapper Trent Middleton being the other. The Wolverines may still add a punter at some point this offseason.

Last spring, Michigan added Arkansas State kicker transfer Dominic Zvada, who wound up being one of the top transfer commits of the 2024 season. The Wolverines brought in James Turner, a Louisville transfer, the season before.

Zvada is set to return for his senior season, so the place-kicking job is accounted for. However, the Wolverines could use another kickoff specialist, and Sunderland provides those capabilities. Punter/kicker Tommy Doman, who was Michigan’s kickoff man the last two seasons, transferred to Florida in December.

Zvada was named a way-too-early All-American by ESPN.com this month, expected to be the top kicker in college football. Last season Zvada went 21-of-22 on field goals, with the one miss being a blocked kick at Illinois. He made 7 kicks of 50-plus yards, which is a school record not only for a season but for a career. His longest makes were a pair of 56-yarders, which came against Indiana and Northwestern in back-to-back outings.

Zvada is Michigan’s career and single-season leader with a 95.5 field goal percentage (minimum 15 attempts), standing well ahead second-place Turner (85.7).

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