Stumph talks about choosing Miami-OH

Westerville (Ohio) St. Charles offensive lineman Justin Stumph was about to head into the month of July carrying a double digit offer total, but the 6-4, 277-pound Stumph had already settled on one school and made his commitment to Miami (Ohio) on the last day of June.

"I called my recruiting coach, Coach [Cedric] Cormier, and let him know first. He was really excited," Stumph said. "Then I called Coach [Bill] Mottolla, who is the offensive line coach, and he said he jumped off his couch with excitement. I got a chance to talk with Coach [Mike] Haywood and he was excited too."

Besides Miami, Stumph had picked up offers from the likes of Air Force, Indiana, Louisville, Northwestern, Bowling Green, Marshall and Toledo. His interaction with the Miami coaching staff and visits to their campus were what sold him on being a Redhawk.

"I guess I just really liked the atmosphere at Miami," Stumph said. "It was the most comfortable school for me, they have good academics and I just thought it was a good place to be. I guess location played a small factor in it. Since they are in the MAC, my parents will be able to go pretty much every game.

"I visited Miami twice, for a junior day in March and spring practices in April. I just loved the practices, the intensity and the way Coach Mottolla coached."

Stumph also made unofficial visits to Bowling Green, Toledo, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Northwestern and others over the course of the last several months.

Stumph said this commitment to Miami is 100 percent solid and he will now turn his focus towards helping the Redhawks continue to build their 2010 class.

"They have two other commitments right now. I haven't gotten a chance to talk with them yet, but I am going to help get the word out to other recruits in Central Ohio," Stumph said. "I have a twin brother, so they'll probably be talking to him now. I have a teammate, Michael Ryan, and he's really interested in Miami too."