Ansley: Vols' Brumbaugh one of nation's best D-line coaches

 

ByWES RUCKER 21 hours ago (September 1, 2020)

 

When Tennessee needed a new defensive line coach, there was one name above the rest on Derrick Ansley’s wish list.

 

He wanted Jimmy Brumbaugh.

Tennessee’s defensive coordinator worked with Brumbaugh for three seasons at Kentucky before the duo took the next steps in their coaching careers — Ansley to Alabama and then the Oakland Raiders, Brumbaugh to Maryland and then Colorado — and he wanted to reunite with him in Knoxville.

Fortunately for Ansley, boss Jeremy Pruitt also had a high opinion of Brumbaugh, and Brumbaugh didn’t hesitate to make the move.

Vols defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh (Photo: Wes Rucker, 247Sports)

 

Ansley certainly got what he wanted.

“I think Jimmy Brumbaugh is one of the best defensive line coaches in the country,” Ansley said during a recent videoconference call with reporters. “Obviously me and him worked together at Kentucky for three years and we’ve been knowing each other all the way back to his college days at Auburn and my days at Troy. I think he’s very technically sound, very detail-oriented, very meticulous in his approach.

 

“He has a drill for everything that they need to do up front. Has video evidence to back that up with his coaching. Kids like that. They like immediate feedback. They like knowing different ways to do different things.

 

“I think he’s gonna be a really good fit and add a lot of value to those guys up front.”

Brumbaugh seems to have made an impression on his new players, as well.

Senior defensive lineman Matthew Butler said Brumbaugh had already done serious research on his game before he met his new position coach.

 

“His second day after he introduced himself and kind of we got to know each other, I want to say he pulled up the Georgia game,” Butler said last week. “And with all due respect to a formidable opponent in Georgia, we could have done some things differently in that game so that it would have a different outcome. He pointed out some things that maybe may have been overlooked, things that could have changed the game, that could have really impacted the game, just with a few details. That kind of shows that he had already watched the game and went through it with a fine comb.

 

“That’s pretty impressive from a player-to-coach standpoint, and it’s also good to hear that you can improve.”

 

Butler said he and the rest of his veteran-laden group has enjoyed working and being challenged by Brumbaugh on a daily basis.

 

“Even before the spring ball started, this was a guy who was meticulous about the details,” Butler said. “He knows his stuff. He’s coached plenty of good football players on plenty of good football teams. He knows his stuff. He’s very meticulous about the details. He didn’t vary from that at all. He came to us and he told us how he was gonna be, and he’s been consistent with that. How he is, he’s drilling in the details.

 

“In fact, he texted all of us a few moments ago just with a couple of clips (of film) for us to look at going into meetings and practice and whatnot. He cares about us, cares about the game, and like I said, and I really couldn’t overemphasize it enough, very meticulous about the details.

“Coach Brumbaugh has been on us hard, on us about the details, and every day we take it in stride and become better and better than we were the (previous) day. We have guys who listen, who retain instruction and are getting better because of the coaching, getting better because of the experience. It’s been good.”

Veteran Vols defender hails new D-line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh

ByPATRICK BROWN 6 hours ago

Matthew Butler is on the third different position coach of his Tennessee career, but the veteran defensive lineman so far has liked what first-year defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh has brought to the program. Tracy Rocker coached the Vols' defensive line the past two seasons before moving on (he's now at South Carolina), and Tennessee replaced one veteran with another in hiring Brumbaugh. The former Auburn standout has built a strong reputation as a coach at Syracuse, Kentucky, Maryland and Colorado.

Brumbaugh has taken over a senior-laden Tennessee defensive line, a hard-working, no-nonsense group that took well to Rocker's coaching style, and he's made a connection with his new players over the past few months, according to Butler, despite being separated from them and only getting two spring practices in back in March.

During his appearance on the latest episode of "The Slice" podcast hosted by VFL Films producer and Vol Network reporter Kasey Funderburg, Butler revealed how Brumbaugh has gone about getting to know his mostly position group.

“He is very attention-to-detail, very meticulous in his work. He expects the best from us,” Butler said, “and he’s going to talk to us as men. We come in there, and let’s just say we came in on a Zoom call, we don’t just get into the plays. He’s going to ask us how we’re doing. He expects us to answer honestly, and if we ain’t doing so well, he’s going to holler at us. He’s very thorough.

“There’s times where he’s called me a few times a day to make sure I was good, to make sure that, maybe we had a Zoom meeting that day, to make sure that I understood where he was coming from. He wants to make sure that the way that he’s teaching us, that’s actually getting through to us, because we’ve probably heard it two or three or four different ways at this point.

“He’s meticulous, thorough and attention-to-detail, and he has a resume with him as well, very respectable and continuing to gain my respect and appreciation, just him being my coach, defensive line coach.”

Butler, who led Tennessee defensive linemen with 45 tackles and added three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two pass breakups in 2019, said he especially appreciates Brumbaugh constantly checking in on how players are doing mentally, and those efforts to form a more personal connection have resonated with the veteran defender.

“It means a lot, just because in today’s day and age when business is business, it’s tough sometimes just having a truly personal connection,” Butler said. “Then you add on top of that, I’m not speaking from my personal perspective, but you add on top of that just anybody and everybody’s struggle with their mental health. It’s very important for somebody, whether they be a peer or whether they be a quote-unquote superior, or maybe if you’re somebody’s superior, that’s just somebody who’s checking on you. That’s solid and appreciated.”

Coach's Corner: Brumbaugh Poised for Success on Rocky Top

Brandon Martin

April 12, 2020

Following the 2019 season, Jeremy Pruitt was forced to make several changes to his coaching staff. Some of these changes came as coaches left for NFL opportunities, while others departed for other college jobs. Some of the coaches that left the Tennessee staff were coaches that Pruitt would have liked to keep staff if possible, while others had expiring contracts, appearing that Tennessee let them move on to their next stop. It is unclear just which set of circumstances the departure of Tracy Rocker to South Carolina fell under. Rocker was an excellent on-field coach for Tennessee, developing the defensive line into one of the strengths of the defense. However, Rocker came to be viewed as a recruiting liability, an accusation that has arisen before in his career. The result saw Rocker's contract expire before he left for the Gamecocks. With Rocker's departure, Pruitt was in the market for a new defensive line coach, a position he quickly filled with Jimmy Brumbaugh.

The Facts

Brumbaugh arrives in Knoxville with the kind of résumé that has come to be expected of most coaches Pruitt adds to his staff. The Gainesville, Florida native has deep SEC ties, beginning with his time as a player at Auburn. Brumbaugh was a Freshman All-SEC selection in 1995, as well as an All-SEC Selection for the Tigers in 1996 and 1997. Brumbaugh's playing career was stifled after an injury late in the 1997 season led to him only playing in three games in 1998. After his fifth-year senior season in 1999, more on-line with his first three seasons on the Plains, Brumbaugh played for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. Stints in the XFL and Arena League preceded Brumbaugh retiring as a professional player and embarking on his coaching career.

Brumbaugh worked his way up through the coaching ranks, primarily serving as a defensive line coach for the last decade. Notably, Brumbaugh has served as the defensive line coach at Syracuse, East Mississippi Community College, Kentucky, Maryland, and Colorado before he was hired to join Tennessee's staff. Brumbaugh also served as the Co-Defensive Coordinator in his time with Maryland and Colorado. Brumbaugh brings an interesting combination of understanding the SEC thanks to his playing career at Auburn, his four years with Kentucky, and his time working at Colorado under longtime SEC assistant Mel Tucker. Brumbaugh has recruiting ties across the south thanks to his path through football, from being a Florida native to years coaching in Louisiana early in his career, a brief stop in Chattanooga, ties in Alabama after playing at Auburn, and further ties established while at Kentucky. Brumbaugh brings an on-field coach and recruiter that can help Tennessee while having the kind of coaching chops Pruitt looks for.

The Strengths

One of the most important things to know about Jimmy Brumbaugh is that he understands what it takes to be an elite SEC defensive lineman, as he was one himself. He has also logged significant time on staff and learning from some of the most highly regarded defensive minds in the country, all specifically tied to the south.  Brumbaugh played, primarily, under then Auburn defensive coordinator Bill Oliver. Oliver coached for over thirty years, the majority of those either at Auburn or Alabama. Oliver became somewhat of an assistant coaching fixture on SEC sidelines, and used Brumbaugh to great effect with the Tigers.

As a coach himself, Brumbaugh was an assistant in the strength and conditioning program at LSU, where the Tigers won a National Title in the 2007 season. When Mark Stoops assembled his first staff at Kentucky in 2013, Brumbaugh was hired to his original staff. It was at Kentucky that Brumbaugh proved he could develop talent to the NFL and recruit against traditional SEC powers. Brumbaugh helped to recruit and develop several Wildcats that went on to have NFL careers, most notably among them Josh Allen. At Kentucky, Brumbaugh was able to be a part of Mark Stoops working to take the Wildcats from 2-10 to a team that is able to compete in the SEC. That transformation was built on the strength of the Kentucky defense, which Brumbaugh's defensive front was key to. The time in Lexington allowed Brumbaugh to prove that he belonged on an SEC sideline on game days, as well as in living rooms for recruiting battles. He earned his SEC coaching chops developing quality players and learning from one of the most respected defensive minds in college football in Stoops. Brumbaugh left the Wildcats for Maryland when offered the chance to become a co-defensive coordinator. In 2019, Brumbaugh left the Terrapins to join another great defensive mind in Colorado. In 2019, Brumbaugh came to Boulder to serve as the defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator for Mel Tucker. Under Tucker, Brumbaugh was working to help implement a 3-4 defense in which his line would set the tone. Tucker wanted to bring an SEC feel to his defense in the PAC 12, and Brumbaugh was key in achieving that. Working under Tucker also allowed Brumbaugh to work closely with another greatly respected defensive coach with extensive ties to the south. At all of his stops, Brumbaugh has had success with his units, has been able to recruit well, and has served in helping to build quality defensive line groups. Exactly the kind of history Pruitt has looked for.

The Questions

Arriving at Tennessee, Brumbaugh will immediately be presented with two distinct challenges that will define his success in Knoxville. First, Brumbaugh inherits a group that is laden with seniors like Aubrey Solomon, Emmit Gooden, Darrel Middleton, and Savion Williams. Brumbaugh will need to get the most out of these seniors for Tennessee to achieve what they want this season. The Vols finished with a Top 25 defensive unit in 2019, and much of that success was built on the way the defensive line improved throughout the season. If the Vols wish to continue improving on the defensive side of the ball in 2020, their defensive line will need to play at a high level from start to finish in the season, meaning Brumbaugh will need to hit the ground running. How much Brumbaugh can get out of his seniors, and how quickly they acclimate to him, will be a key for the Volunteer defense in 2020.  Beyond his group of seniors, Brumbaugh will also inherit players like Greg Emerson, Omari Thomas, Dominic Bailey, and Elijah Simmons, to name a few. While Emerson played extensively in 2019, looking like a potential rising star for the Vols, the others are new arrivals or spent 2019 as a redshirt. How Brumbaugh is able to teach and develop these talented newcomers will impact 2020, but also the future for Tennessee. These are some of the highest-rated players in Tennessee's 2020 signing class. Their development is key for the future of the Volunteer defense, and Brumbaugh's ability to develop and prepare young talent will be an area to watch closely when practices resume.

The second task that will be set before Brumbaugh is to get on the recruiting trail and replace all the seniors his group will lose at season's end. The defensive line is one of, perhaps the, biggest priority for Tennessee on the recruiting trail in the 2021 cycle. It is also no secret that Brumbaugh's predecessor is working in Columbia rather than Knoxville now in no small part due to his shortcomings on the recruiting trail. Much like he is being asked to get the most out of his defensive line group early on the field, Brumbaugh will be thrown into multiple, intense recruiting battles right out of the gate. While unlikely he wins them all, it is critical for Brumbaugh and Tennessee as a whole in the 2021 seasons and beyond that Brumbaugh is successful in helping to land quality defensive linemen to bring to Knoxville. Some will be depth players, but others will need to be prepared to play early.

Jimmy Brumbaugh has shown success on the field in the SEC. He was worked with multiple, excellent defensive coaches, and now is working under Jeremy Pruitt and with Derrick Ansley. At Tennessee, Brumbaugh won't be asked to rebuild a unit from the ground up. He will have a talented and experienced group to work with for 2020, however, his effectiveness on the recruiting trail will be critical in Tennessee avoiding a rebuild upfront. If he can win battles on the trail, the Vols will be able to reach the recruiting level Pruitt wants, where Tennessee is able to bring in the next wave of talented players to replace departing seniors. Brumbaugh finds himself very much in a, “Prove It,” type scenario in his first season in Knoxville. History shows that he has the experience and track record to do just that, and should he prove up to the task, the Volunteer defense should take steps forward in 2020 and 2021.

Beachwood-based agent Neil Cornrich's clients have struck plenty of new deals in 2020

KEVIN KLEPS  

Sports Business

March 19, 2020 12:34 PM | UPDATED 7 MINUTES AGO

Chris Gardner/Getty Images

Cleveland native Mel Tucker left Colorado for Michigan State, which will pay its new head football coach at least $5.5 million per year.

The start of the new league year in the NFL this week has brought the usual flurry of action to Neil Cornrich's schedule.

The first couple months of 2020, though, were a testament to the strength of another arm of the Beachwood-based agent's business: the myriad of college and NFL coaches he represents.

Last weekend, the Washington Redskins placed the franchise tag on guard Brandon Scherff. The move guarantees Scherff, the fifth overall selection in the 2015 draft, $15.03 million this season.

Two other Cornrich clients, center Austin Blythe and special teams standout Nate Ebner, agreed to one-year deals this week with the L.A. Rams and New York Giants, respectively. Blythe made $2.025 million with the Rams last season. Ebner spent the previous eight seasons in New England and just completed a two-year, $5 million deal.

Cornrich's clients in the coaching business have fared pretty well, too.

The biggest move in 2020 was Mel Tucker leaving Colorado to take over at Michigan State. Tucker more than doubled his salary when he landed a six-year deal that is worth more than $5.5 million annually. The Cleveland native will make at least $1.2 million more per year than Mark Dantonio, his predecessor at Michigan State.

Tucker's salary is expected to rank among the top 12 in college football. Sixteen head coaches made at least $5 million last year, according to USA Today's database.

Other notable deals involving Cornrich's clients in the pro and college ranks are as follows:

• Bo Pelini left Youngstown State, where he had been the head coach since 2015, to become the defensive coordinator at LSU. The Youngstown native is believed to be one of the two highest-paid defensive coordinators in college football after securing a three-year deal worth $2.3 million annually.

Pelini's salary was much lower at Youngstown State (in the $214,000 range), but until February 2019, he was owed $150,000 a month by Nebraska, which fired Pelini after a 9-3 regular season in 2014.

• Texas lured Mike Yurcich from Ohio State with a three-year deal that will pay the Longhorns' new offensive coordinator $1.7 million per year. The Euclid native nearly doubled his $950,000 salary at Ohio State, where he was the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

At the time Yurcich signed his deal, he was the highest-paid offensive coordinator in college football. Prior to spending a year at Ohio State, Yurcich was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State for six seasons.

• Tucker wanted to have Vince Marrow join his coaching staff at Michigan State, but the assistant stayed at Kentucky and was rewarded with a contract that will pay him $900,000 per year through 2022. Marrow, a Youngstown native, is the Wildcats' associate head coach, tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator.

• Jimmy Brumbaugh, who was a member of Tucker's staff at Colorado in 2019, is now Tennessee's co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Brumbaugh will get $650,000 in each of the next two years.

• Bob Diaco left Louisiana Tech, where he was the defensive coordinator, to become the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Purdue. Diaco was Connecticut's head coach from 2014-16 and made a combined $1.7 million in 2017 and '18, when he was the highest-paid assistant in Nebraska history.

Cornrich also negotiated a few deals for NFL assistants this year.

• Josh Boyer, a former Kent State assistant, was promoted to defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. Boyer was Miami's cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator in 2019.

• Darrin Simmons signed an extension with the Cincinnati Bengals, for whom he has worked since 2003. Simmons is the Bengals' assistant head coach and special teams coordinator.

• Phil Rauscher, after spending the last two years as a Washington Redskins assistant, is the Minnesota Vikings' new assistant offensive line coach.

Cornrich's most prominent client is Bill Belichick, who hasn't gotten a new deal but will have a new quarterback after the surprising exit of Tom Brady.

The longtime agent also represents Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz.

His player roster includes Trey Flowers, who struck it rich as a free agent in 2019, when he signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Detroit Lions.

Why Jimmy Brumbaugh is Jeremy Pruitt's kind of D-line coach

By PATRICK BROWN Mar 11, 9:00 AM

Tennessee wasn't in the market for a defensive line coach very long last month. Head coach Jeremy Pruitt and the Vols didn't even need an interview to hire Jimmy Brumbaugh from Colorado. Brumbaugh is exactly the kind of defensive line coach Pruitt wants, even though the two have never worked together.

Brumbaugh was tabbed as the replacement for SEC veteran defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, who went to South Carolina after his contract at Tennessee expired, and Pruitt after Tennessee's first spring practice on Tuesday afternoon explained why the Vols simply offered him the job.

That's because Pruitt knew Brumbaugh was precisely what he wants in a defensive line coach.

“Jimmy’s a guy that I’ve known for a long time,” Pruitt said. “When he was playing at Auburn, we played against each other (when Pruitt played at Alabama). (He’s) a guy that has really grown in the profession, I mean the work that he’s done at every stop along the way, he’s a great teacher, motivator. You kind of know what you’re getting in him every single day.

“You can see it out here (at practice). When I’ve sat in the meetings with him and just how he teaches, I think he’s really hands-on. He brings a lot of knowledge at that position, playing that position, and really is kind of the style of defensive line coach that we’re looking for.”

Brumbaugh, also Tennessee's co-defensive coordinator, was a two-time All-SEC defensive lineman at Auburn and started 44 of his 48 career games with the Tigers (1995-99). After competing his degree following a brief professional career, he started out his coaching career at Jacksonville State as a student assistant in 2005, then got his first defensive line coaching job at Chattanooga in 2005. Brumbaugh then spent two years at LSU as an assistant strength and conditioning coach and was part of a national title season in Baton Rouge.

Jimmy Brumbaugh (Photo: Wes Rucker, 247Sports)

Since then, Brumbaugh has been the defensive line coach at Louisiana Tech (2008-09), Syracuse (2010-11), East Mississippi Community College (2012), Kentucky (2013-16), Maryland (2017-18) and Colorado (2018). At Kentucky, Brumbaugh worked alongside current Tennessee defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley and coached a pair of future NFL players in Za'Darius Smith and Bud Dupree. At Colorado, the Buffaloes' run defense jumped 64 spots in the national statistical rankings after surrendering 62.4 fewer yards per game in 2019.

Pruitt is the latest SEC-defensive-coordinator-turned-head-coach to hire Brumbaugh to his staff, joining Mark Stoops at Kentucky, D.J. Durkin at Maryland and Mel Tucker at Colorado.

“When we had the job come open, we didn’t interview anybody else,” Pruitt said. “We didn’t interview him. We just offered him the job and he came.”

Brumbaugh is one of the three new defensive assistant coaches for the Vols in 2020 with Brian Niedermeyer shifting over to coach the inside linebackers after two seasons as Tennessee's tight ends coach and Shelton Felton, a former quality control analyst at Tennessee in 2018, coming in from Akron to coach the outside linebackers.

Tennessee resumes the spring with its second practice on Thursday afternoon.

Tennessee Vols: Jeremy Pruitt made the right decision by hiring Jimmy Brumbaugh

By Zach Ragan

March 8, 2020

Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt made a bold decision earlier this offseason by allowing defensive line coach Tracy Rocker’s contract to expire, essentially moving on from the veteran assistant coach.

Rocker did a good job coaching Tennessee’s defensive line during his two seasons at UT (they were one of the most improved units for the Vols in 2019), but his recruiting efforts left a lot to be desired.

Pruitt replaced Rocker by hiring Colorado defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh to coach Tennessee’s defensive line (while Rocker took the same position on Will Muschamp’s staff at South Carolina).

There were rumblings for months that Rocker wouldn’t be back in Knoxville in 2020, so it wasn’t a surprise that a change was made.

Hiring Brumbaugh, however, wasn’t an expected move by Pruitt. His name never really surfaced until just before the hire was reported.

Pruitt obviously knew what he was doing, though.

Brumbaugh, who coached at Kentucky with Vols defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley, is already paying dividends for Tennessee.

On Saturday, three-star defensive linemen Isaac Washington, 6-foot-3/268 lbs from Pilot Mountain, NC, re-committed to Tennessee after a visit to Rocky Top.

Washington previously decommitted from the Vols after Rocker left for South Carolina. Saturday was his first time meeting Brumbaugh.

The North Carolina native told VolQuest of the visit “He’s a good coach….he’s a good teacher.”

Four-star defensive lineman Payton Page, 6-foot-4/342 lbs from Greensboro, NC, echoed those sentiments after visiting UT on Saturday, telling VolQuest “It really changed how I think about Tennessee….how the defensive line coach thinks.”

Page added “It was natural talking to him (Brumbaugh). Usually it’s kind of awkward talking to a coach because I never had met him. I felt like I had talked to him before.”

The stud defensive lineman is one of the Vols’ top 2021 recruiting targets. But they aren’t alone in their pursuit of Page. Clemson, LSU, and North Carolina, among many others, are also strongly pursuing the Greensboro native.

But it’s clear that Brumbaugh made a big impression on Page — which is what he was hired to do. This is just another example of Pruitt knowing exactly what needs to be done to make Tennessee’s coaching staff better.

I’ve yet to see Pruitt made a bad coaching hire (Tyson Helton as offensive coordinator didn’t work out very well, but Pruitt quickly corrected the situation). He’s continuously finding a way to improve Tennessee football from top to bottom.

The Vols’ staff experienced a lot of turnover this year, but it’s as strong as ever.

Featured image via Colorado Athletics