Surprise: Ohio State lands a Tuman
Mia Tuman has always been a huge University of Michigan fan. Her dad, Jerame, was a star football player for the maize and blue before playing tight end for the Steelers, and several other family members attended the school, as well.
“Huge Michigan fan. And everybody at my school knows it,” said Tuman, a junior at North Allegheny and one of the top volleyball players in the WPIAL.
So, when Michigan offered Tuman a scholarship, it was a no-brainer she would commit there, right?
Not quite. In fact, not only has Tuman elected not to attend Michigan, but she has decided to play for its arch rival.
That’s right ... Tuman said no to the Wolverines and yes to the Buckeyes when she made a verbal commitment to Ohio State earlier this month. Tuman is a 5-foot-11 setter who helped North Allegheny win PIAA Class 3A titles each of her first two seasons. Tuman was selected all-state her sophomore season.
“Originally, I was never an Ohio State fan just because my dad went to Michigan,” said Tuman, who also plays on North Allegheny’s PIAA championship winning basketball team. “He played football there and I have tons of family who went there. We’re a huge Michigan family. Ohio State has always been the enemy. When they started recruiting me, I wasn’t even going to consider them. In my eyes, they were ‘that team from the south.’”
But in the end, the decision actually came down between the schools from neighboring states that make up one of the greatest rivalries in college sports.
“I think everybody was like, ‘She’s going to Michigan,’” said Tuman. “So obviously, this wasn’t what they were expecting.”
Mia is the youngest of Jerame and Molly Tuman’s four children. Molly was a star volleyball player at Kentucky whose brother, Scott Dreisbach, was the starting quarterback at Michigan in the mid-1990s. Jerame and Molly’s oldest child, Canyon, also had Michigan in his top two when he was deciding on a college. He, too, went another route, choosing to attend Penn State. He plays volleyball for the Nittany Lions and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Jerame, of course, bleeds maize and blue. He was a three-time all-Big Ten pick at Michigan before going on to play
10 seasons in the NFL, nine with the Steelers. But when it comes to his children’s futures, he has been able to put college allegiances aside.
“This is the second time through for us,” Jerame said. “My son went through it, too. Mia is the youngest, and I was kind of at the point that, if a school is going to offer to pay for my child’s education and offer them a chance to play there, I can put the rivalry aside. At the end of the day, they’re all great programs and the Big Ten is a great conference.”
Mia and her parents visited Ohio State the first weekend of August, and Mia came away extremely impressed. She even had dad’s blessing.
“My dad was like, ‘I hate to say, but you should consider them. They could be pretty good.’” Mia said with a laugh. “I took my visit and absolutely loved it. I loved the coaches and the whole team.”
Ohio State’s head coach has local ties. Jen Flynn Oldenburg
is in her second season at Ohio State. She was a three-sport star at Baldwin in the mid-1990s.
In addition to Ohio State and Michigan, Mia Tuman said she also considered Penn State, Kentucky and North Carolina.
For Tuman, one of the biggest challenges right now is getting used to wearing Ohio State clothing in public.
“I’ve been a little nervous to wear it out. I’m not going to lie,” she said. “I had nothing Ohio State. All I had was one shirt from when I went to a camp there. You would never find anything in my house Ohio State related.”
Since his daughter’s commitment, Jerame Tuman has been taking some light-hearted ribbing from friends and former teammates. He’s already contemplated what he is going to wear if he attends an Ohio State- Michigan volleyball match a few years from now.
“When my daughter is on the court playing, I’m going to support her team and support her colors,” he said.
Top two in 2023
The top two recruits in Pennsylvania in the class of 2023 hail from Western
Pennsylvania, this according to Rivals, which released its Rivals250 rankings for the junior class last week.
Brashear’s Ta’Mere
Robinson and Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher are the only players from the state ranked among the top 100 juniors nationally. Robinson is No. 59 and Gallagher No. 98. Robinson is the No. 6 outside linebacker and Gallagher the No. 15 wide receiver.
The only other local player to make the Rivals250 was Chartiers Valley’s Lamont Payne. He’s ranked No. 8 in the state and No. 228 in the country, and is rated the No. 32 cornerback. Like Robinson and Gallagher, Payne is a four-star recruit.
Arch Manning, a quarterback from Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, is the No. 1 player nationally. Yes, he’s related to those Mannings. He’s the son of the other Manning brother, Cooper. Alabama, Clemson, Ole Miss and Tennessee are among the schools that have offered.
Beatty on the move
A former Fabulous 22 player has decided to transfer colleges. Central Catholic graduate A.J. Beatty announced last week that he would be entering the transfer portal after one season at North Carolina. Beatty redshirted his only season with the Tar Heels. He played center there after being recruited to play along the defensive line. Beatty, ranked the No. 5 player in the state in the class of 2020 by Rivals, held 44 Division I offers. He said he chose North Carolina over West Virginia, South Carolina and Purdue. Pitt was among the schools that offered.
Baseball commitments
Norwin’s Elijah Dunn (IUP); Seton LaSalle’s Sam Georgiana (California, Pa.).
Football commitments
Mt. Lebanon’s Tommy Boehner (Bowdoin); Seton LaSalle’s Liam Halligan (Brown).
Golf commitment
Butler’s Paige Scott (Oakland).