By LARRY VAUGHT

It’s been a struggle for Donte Rumph to get to Kentucky, but Friday the South Carolina defensive lineman sounded like a native Kentuckian.

“I am glad to be here. I am so excited. I am ready to get through camp and get back in football shape and take Louisville down on Sept. 4th,” said Rumph on UK’s Media Day.

Rumph originally signed with Kentucky in 2008 after earning all-state honors when he had 107 tackles, including 14 quarterback sacks, his senior season. His size and strength along with his athleticism — he was on the basketball team that won three straight state titles and also played baseball — made him a major recruiting target.

However, Rumph had to go to Ford Union (Va.) Military Academy because he did not qualify academically. He ended up staying two years before finally learning a few weeks ago he had qualified to be eligible.

“There were some ups and downs. I had a lot of support from family, friends, coach (joker) Phillips and the entire coaching staff. They believed in me and kept my faith up and I stuck with them,” Rumph said.

He said there were never times he broke down and cried the last two years, but he got close.

“At times I wanted to be by myself and not around anybody else. I would use that time to regain my focus and keep my head on straight and talk to the Lord. I just thank God I made it here,” Rumph said.

His struggles to make it to Kentucky have given him a special perspective on just being on the team and able to compete in the Southeastern Conference that other teammates may not have.

‘I think it would be fair to say I appreciate this opportunity more than most. I worked so hard for two years. I went through so much at Fork Union and for my family. Just the up and down of the whole trip. I think I do appreciate it more,” he said.

With redshirt freshman defensive tackle Mister Cobble academically ineligible, Rumph’s presence is even more vital for UK even though he reported at 315 pounds — well over his anticipated playing weight.

“Rumph comes in, in a position of need with us losing Cobble, so he comes in a position of needing experience.  I think we’ve got a lot of bodies at the defensive tackle.  I think the thing we need is some maturity there, and I think he’ll bring that maturity to that position,” Phillips said.

Senior teammate Ricky Lumpkin, who joked that Rumph had such a strong grip that he nearly broke his hand shaking hands, warned that Rumph still will need time to adjust to SEC football after playing only a few prep games the last two years.

“It will be hard for him to adjust because it is hard for everybody. You are going from high school to practice, which is already a fast speed. He was at a prep school and now he is going to be playing SEC teams like Georgia, Tennessee and Florida,” Lumpkin said. “The game speed is 10 times faster than practice. You can be an all-American in practice, but it all depends on what you do in the game.

“I have a feeling he is going to be a great player. I am excited to see him play and practice and how he reacts and goes about working. I know he has talent.”

Rumph knows he’s not in football shape, something he expects strength coach Rock Oliver to help remedy.

“I am not at all worried. I know I am going to work hard to get back in football shape. I am not going to let coach Phillips down. He worked so hard for me for three years. I am going to show my gratitude on the field,” Rumph said.

He said he spent so much time concentrating on academic work he had to complete during the summer that sometimes it was difficult to do his football workouts.

“I had to take a class from Kentucky and trying to balance my schedule between class and working out was pretty difficult. But I think I did pretty good there at home,” he said. “I ran some sprints and did drills in the workout book. It was hard. I was trying to concentrate on being eligible, but also trying to balance making sure I was in shape to play. It was just a lot of work. I dealt with it the best way I could.”

He says his father, Dennis, and grandmother, Thelma, provided the extra inspiration he needed.

“They were there for me the whole way. My grandmother and my father were there at times I felt like quitting and wondering if this was for me or not. It was hard. They have always been there for me. I owe them so much, just like I do Kentucky and coach Phillips,” he said.