The decision wasn’t one Scott Hummel needed lots of time to make.

He said he knew if James Madison offered him a scholarship, he’d likely end up a member of the Dukes.

“JMU had everything I wanted, so I wanted to jump on it as quickly as I could,” said Hummel, the Linganore High School (Frederick, Md.) offensive lineman, who became the first commitment in the Dukes’ 2021 recruiting class on Friday. Hummel said JMU made its offer to him on Thursday night.

“I had a talk with [offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski],” Hummel said. “And he was giving me an idea of what he wanted me to do, but then he gave me some time to really think about it, and after that I knew I wanted to jump on it as soon as I could.”

Hummel had 11 scholarship offers, he said, including other opportunities in the Colonial Athletic Association with Villanova and New Hampshire. IVY League member Dartmouth was the first to offer, but Hummel said he had narrowed his choices to JMU and Villanova, which also offered him Thursday, before picking the Dukes.

This past fall Hummel was named a Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association All-State second-team selection and an All-County first-team choice, by The Frederick News-Post.

He made an unofficial visit to JMU when the Dukes hosted Morgan State in September, and then returned to Harrisonburg in November for the Richmond game, he said, a rivalry contest Hummel has learned all about since he grew up attending it.

“So both my parents went to JMU as well as my aunt and uncle,” Hummel said, “so I was very introduced to the culture of JMU when I was younger. That was a really big thing for me, and then obviously JMU is a big powerhouse for football and I wanted to get in on that, too.

“… But we always tried to catch the Richmond game whenever it was home and then one or two more [games] during the season. We always had to catch a couple of games to go see the team play, tailgate and all that fun stuff.”

He said seeing the Dukes and Spiders matchup has always been his favorite, and that he’s eager to be part of instate series in the coming years.

It served JMU well Hummel knew the campus, Bridgeforth Stadium and the school, and that he had also built strong relationships with Wroblewski and area recruiter, wide receivers coach, Mike Shanahan, too. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound offensive lineman couldn’t say that about most of the other programs and coaches trying to persuade him their way.

“So a lot of my expectations were to take it slow,” Hummel said of the recruiting process, “and maybe get to a point where I could tour all the schools that were interested in me and get to meet the coaches face to face.

“But obviously, the coronavirus has prevented that from happening. So luckily for me, I’ve always been on JMU’s campus since I was younger, and in the fall I got to meet several of the coaches, so I’ve been able to meet them face to face. That gave me a little head start with them.”

Hummel, who also finished third in the 285-pound division of the MPSSAA state wrestling tournament, said Wroblewski told him he’s likely to fit on the interior of the Dukes’ offensive line.

During his junior season, Hummel played guard for Linganore.

“I can snap the ball as well, so I can also play center,” Hummel said. “I’m really open to anything. Whatever the easiest way is for me to get on the field, I’ll do it.”

As for being the first pledge for 2021, Hummel said he’s happy he is.

“It really is an honor, you know, just to start off the new class coming into JMU,” he said. “Hopefully I can contribute and be a good part of it, and get us back to Frisco.”