By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 300 pounds, Allegan junior Sully Garvin makes quite the impression when he walks in a room.
He’s also made quite an impression on college football evaluators and coaches.
Listed as a three-star recruit, Garvin is ranked 33rd nationally among offensive tackles for the class of 2026.
He has, as of Tuesday, July 16, received nine official college offers. Those offers include Western Michigan University, Toledo, Miami of Ohio, Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University and, most recently, Indiana University, with more offers expected in the coming weeks and months.
“It’s been very exciting,” Garvin said of the recruiting process. “Coming from a small town and getting all this attention feels unreal.
“I’m in constant communication with lots of coaches from major schools like Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Indiana and Minnesota. I’m excited to continue to build relationships with them.”
Allegan varsity football coach Tony Danzig isn’t surprised at the attention Garvin has garnered.
“Sully is big, but more importantly he’s very quick, very fast and very, very physical,” Danzig said. “And more than all the physical attributes, Sully is a master of his craft, which is offensive line play. Every coach I’ve talked to can’t say enough about how he runs and moves.
“In addition to that, Sully is our only returning captain and he’s a great leader.”
Garvin has been busy this summer attending numerous “Big Man” camps around the Midwest. Stops along the way have included Prep Redzone in Detroit, Wayne State, the Great Lakes combine, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan State, WMU, Indiana and Michigan, with Minnesota scheduled for July 27.
“I’ve learned a great deal of things from these camps,” Garvin said. “I’ve been able to meet some of the most amazing coaches from some of the most amazing colleges in the Midwest.”
Garvin’s mom Tracy has become skilled at making arrangements for her son to travel to the various camps.
“We manage to figure it all out,” she said. “You definitely can’t make it to all the camps. We had to choose the ones Sully was most interested in as well as the ones he’d had prior conversations with coaches.
“It’s just amazing that Sully has made the connection he has with all these coaches, along with the connections we as parents have made with the coaches.”
Garvin’s introduction to football came in 2015 when he first played flag football. It didn’t take long for him to fall in love with the sport.
‘The thing I love most about football is it requires discipline and a strong work ethic,” Garvin said.
The next year, he moved to tackle football before joining a travel team called Peak in 2017, playing for the team for three years. During that time, he had the opportunity to play at the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
“Sully’s always been very athletic and has done great in a variety of sports,” Tracy Garvin said. “But football is his passion. I realized pretty early on. It was a game when he was in sixth grade and were playing against Paw Paw at Waldo stadium at WMU.”
Garvin’s daily routine includes doing footwork drills in his back yard to further enhance his quickness and agility in addition to lifting weights with his trainer in Caledonia. On Wednesdays, he heads to Allegan High School for some team practice.
“I’m beyond proud of how hard he works every single day to get better, whether it’s spending time with his trainer or coach, going to the camps, doing work at home or getting some extra coaching sessions,” Tracy Garvin said. “He’s so focused and determined.”
And while football will definitely play a big role in determining which college Garvin ends up attending, academics will be equally as important.
“I still have a lot of time to choose what I would like to study, but my interests are in sports science, sports management or something like kinesiology or strength and conditioning,” he said. “The way the body works has always interested me.
“My academic choice for college matters a lot to me. Student comes first in student-athlete, so I want to commit to a college I not only love, but also one that offers my academic major.”
Tracy Garvin echoed those sentiments.
“He’s super focused on his goals, but also remembering to be a leader and represent Allegan High School well and that being a student comes first,” she said. “He just made National Honor Society, so I’m very proud of that.”
Before heading off to college, however, Garvin still has two years left at Allegan.
“My main area of focus this season is to have a great time with my team,” he said. “I hope to continue to build my relationships with these college coaches and just have as much fun as possible.
“I also want to give a huge thank you to the Allegan coaching staff, especially coach Tony Danzig. He has come to many of my camps and has played a big part in this whole process.”
