By LARRY VAUGHT
Kentucky defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh still remembers playing in Commonwealth Stadium when he was a freshman at Auburn in 1995 and UK had Moe Williams as its star running back.
“I remember him being really good and my coach telling me about him. The first play he told me not to reach. I remember him (Williams) running through the hole. I reached out and he about tore my shoulder off. I can remember that even now,” said Brumbaugh. “I don’t remember much more other than it was a night game. But I remember that first play.”
He’ll also likely never forget his first game in Commonwealth as a UK coach even if it was the spring game because of the fan.
“I have been part of walks before a lot of games, but I have never been down a walk like we had at the Cat Walk before the spring game. That was unbelievable,” Brumbaugh said. “That kind of enthusiasm and passion for the game is unbelievable. I go to Florida to recruit and kids are talking about us having close to 51,000 at the spring game. That is all over. Everybody thinks this is a basketball school, but people here are talking football and supporting football.”
Brumbaugh was an all-Southeastern Conference defensive tackle at Auburn where he started 44 of 48 games and had 291 tackles and three times made the all-SEC team. Brumbaugh signed a free-agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers in 2000, but spent most of his pro career in the XFL with the Birmingham Bolts and in arena football with the Georgia Force and Birmingham Steel Dogs.
Brumbaugh, who was also a member of LSU’s staff during its national championship in 2007 when the Tigers were upset at UK, says his playing time at Auburn gives him credibility with players.
“I think it does. Anytime a guy has gone through the same situation you have, you are more adamant listening to what that guy who has been there doing that,” Brumbaugh said. “I have been in every battle they are going through. The more success that your guys have, the better your selling points are. That is what I teach. I try to drill fundamentals in practice and if I get a good game clip and they see they are basically doing that drill in a game and having success, they will listen.”
Often those spring practice drills included Brumbaugh not only teaching, but participating with his linemen — something they all liked and respected.
“That is just part of what I do. I am a teacher of the game. I am a visual guy,” Brumbaugh, a Florida native, said. “A lot of times if I can do something, they get a better understanding of what I am trying to get done and they understand and learn more. I get more quality reps and once they understand, then I can get quantity (reps). I am young and can still do that now. It might be different when I get older.”
Brumbaugh’s most recent BCS stop was a two-year stint at Syracuse University, where he coached the defensive tackles in 2011 and the defensive line in 2010. Prior to his time at Syracuse, Brumbaugh coached the defensive line at Louisiana Tech in 2008 and 2009.
At LSU, he was assistant strength and conditioning coordinator in 2006 and 2007. That gives him a perspective most college assistant coaches don’t have. He said the lifts he had players do lead to explosiveness needed in the defensive line.
“I can reference those kind of situations. It’s a toughness aspect not everyone can appreciate,” Brumbaugh said. “It’s not easy to play defensive line. It’s not an easy position at all. If you bring a whole bunch of kids to camp and there are balls laying there a couple of sleds, every kid getting off the buss wants a ball to throw around. Hardly anyone will go down and want to punch sleds.
“It’s tough being a defensive lineman. My wife gets on me because I will be walking in somewhere and will just swat something. I’ve always done that and it is natural to me. Walk by me and touch me, I put my hand up. It’s just natural for me to do that. It’s just a reaction thing, something I have done all my life. Those are learned habits. Once you become a defensive lineman, you understand those kind of situations.”
By LARRY VAUGHT
During his days at Boyle County High School and Western Kentucky University, Brandon Smith was a quarterback and set numerous records during his prep career. Now he’s the defensive coordinator at South Warren High School and has two players — defensive tackle Adrian Middleton and linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe.
Middleton has offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Indiana State, Western and Middle Tennessee. Iyiegbuniwe only has an offer from Western so far, but Smith expects more schools to soon offer Iyiegbuniwe.
Smith, the son of former Boyle County and UK linebackers coach Chuck Smith, says South Warren coach Mark Nelson has done an amazing job. “To have only played two years of varsity football and have two Division I players on the team says a lot about what kind of coach he is and what he expects of his players. I’m not sure if another school in the state currently has two D1 players,” Smith said.
The 6-4, 275-pound Middleton got a visit from UK offensive coordinator Neal Brown, who played for Chuck Smith, and defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh. They recorded video to show head coach Mark Stoops, who extended the offer to Middleton after he returned from the NFL draft.
Florida — and assistant coach Joker Phillips — has also shown interest in Middleton.
“I think he’s an elite player,” Smith said. “He is a big, strong kid that can move like a skilled kid. It is very hard to find players that can do that. He tremendous explosion off the ball and he is very football intelligent. He doesn’t just guess where the ball is going — he reads it.”
Smith offered these other insights on Middleton and Iyiegbuniwe.
Question: What kind of upside does Middleton have in college and what are you looking for him to improve this year?
Smith: “He has a huge upside. He is very young. He will play his entire senior year at 17 years old. He really hasn’t learned how to use what he has yet. Sometimes you see kids that peak out in high school, but that is not the case with him. His best football is ahead of him.”
Question: What kind of summer plans does he have as far as camps/combines to attend?
Smith: “All of this has hit suddenly in the last couple of weeks. He will have to sit down and figure out a plan of where he wants to visit this summer. He will probably do that in the next couple of weeks.”
Question: Do you expect even more schools to get involved in his recruiting?
Smith: “Yes. Defensive linemen are very hard to find. He is very good at what he does. There are several more SEC and Big 10 schools that have expressed a strong interest and are scheduled to visit him in school in the coming weeks.”
Question: What kind of person/student is he?
Smith: “He is a great kid. He has very likable personality. If you only knew him off the field you wouldn’t think he was capable of the things he does on it. He is always smiling and in a good mode.
Question: What makes you feel more offers will be coming for Iyiegbuniwe and what are his strengths/weaknesses?
Smith: “Joel is a solid 6-2, 210 pounds and can run. He is moving from safety to linebacker this year and that is where the majority of the schools are projecting him as. They don’t have film to go by, so he is going to be a camp guy. If they are not an offensive lineman/defensive lineman, most of the time they (college coaches) want to see you run and change direction. He does these things very well. He has only played football two years (basketball player). He has not even tipped the iceberg of what he’s capable of.”
Question: What kind of summer plans does he have?
Smith: “He has several camps he is planning to attend. Once again, he will have to sit down and plan out the stops he is going to make. I think that will come after all the schools come through and he decides which ones he is serious about.”
Matt Elam photo courtesy the Elizabethtown News-Enterprise.
By LARRY VAUGHT
When Kentucky defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh visited John Hardin junior standout Matt Elam this week, he left no doubt about how he could help the Wildcats.
“He talked about how he wanted me and I could help head the defense. He watched me practice, said he was amazed and that Kentucky needed me,” said Elam.
Kentucky offensive coordinator Neal Brown, a Bardstown native, also made the trip to Elizabethtown with Brumbaugh to see Elam before heading out to another recruiting visit. Earlier in the week he had coaches from Cincinnati, Western Kentucky and Louisville stop by and Alabama linebacker coach Lance Thompson is scheduled to visit soon. The 6-6,340-pound Elam, a four-star prospect, forget the Louisville coach was coming on Monday and wore a Kentucky shirt to school that day.
“That was crazy. I thought he was coming the same day as the UK coaches, so I just happened to wear a UK shirt that day. I have Louisville shirts, too, but I just happened to pick UK that day. I have a lot of college shirts, so it wasn’t like I was trying to insult anyone. Fans just took it out of proportion,” Elam said. “I got it straight with the Louisville coaches, but it was kind of funny.”
Elam, a four-star prospect, didn’t take any chances when Brumbaugh and Brown visited. He wore a John Hardin shirt that day. He’s got Kentucky, Louisville and Alabama at the top of his colles list and says Florida and Tennessee will be in the top five if they offer him a scholarship.
“I grew up as a neutral fan here. As a kid, I did not pick UK or U of L,” Elam said. “If one was winning and going against Michigan State or somebody, I would be for the Kentucky team. This year I picked Louisville (in the NCAA Tournament). If Kentucky was playing, it would be Kentucky. I’ve got to be neutral in this situation. If you go somewhere because you are a fan of the team, that’s the wrong reason.
“A lot of things will play a factor in my decision. I get a lot of people that say, ‘Why not go to Alabama?’ But I’ve got to think about playing time. I might just play a couple of snaps and somebody comes in and does better or just as well. I want to secure a spot, but I know I can also get better from playing with and against the best competition. UK, I might go in early and play. Same with Louisville. I just love everything I have going right now.
“I don’t mind building something like we’ve done here at John Hardin. I think about what teams did the previous seasons, but (UK coach Mark) Stoops has come in and already changed that program around. I could be part of that rebuilding. But at Alabama or Louisville, I could contribute and go to bowl games and compete for national titles right away.”
He said both Brumbaugh and Brown wanted him to “jump on the train” now with Kentucky and help persuade other players to also join the Wildcats. However, he still plans to go to camp/combines in Alabama, Florida and Kentucky this summer. He says he thinks he’ll “wait out the process and see what all my options are” before making a decision.
However, when Ohio running back Mikel Horton verbally committed to UK last week, Elam put this on Twitter: “#UK Class This Year Will Beat The Record From Last Year I Guarantee It! S/o To My Boy @mikelhorton1 For Commitment To UK Congrats Bruh! #BBN.”
“I do have some buddies up in Ohio who are recruiting me hard for Kentucky,” Elam said. “Mikel, we talk all the time. He’s trying to get the train rolling. I talk to (Conner quarterback) Drew Barker. I think UK can have something special going. I think this next recruiting class at UK will beat the record they set for the best recruiting class in history this year.”
He does like that both Stoops and Louisville coach Charlie Strong are both former defensive coordinators.
“That does matter. I want the head coach to know the defense and be involved,” Elam said. “But coach Neal Brown is doing a good job with the offense at Kentucky, too. That’s why I think UK is going to be solid.”
Elam says he’s enjoying recruiting and “wanted this attention for a long time” and realizes the calls, texts and interviews only happen once.
“I just try to enjoy it all,” he said. “I always knew I was a good player, but to get a call from Alabama coach Nick Saban was a little surreal. It was crazy actually. I just had to stand there and he actually asked if I was still there. To get recruited so hard is special. It shows all my work paid off. I never really knew how big this could be, so that’s why I am trying to enjoy it all.”
He says teammates enjoy having college coaches at spring practice and he has tried to lead the team to practice even harder with the coaches watching.
He talks with his coaches “all the time” about going to the place that “best fits me” and they avoid trying to influence me. “They tell me just to study everything,” Elam said.
Matt Elam photo courtesy the Elizabethtown News-Enterprise.
He says because Fort Knox is close, there are fans of a lot of different teams that move into the area. In Elizabethtown, he says there are Louisville fans, but mainly UK fans.
“I even have teachers that love UK and some hate UK. It’s kind of funny to see how even my teachers get excited and act like kids when it comes to recruiting,” he said.
He saw more of that at the UK Blue-White Game when he realized “fans were crazy about UK football coming back” when over 50,000 showed up for the game.
“I got to go on the Cat Walk and we saw so may fans. They were holding up posters, ‘Come be a hero, Drew and Matt,’ and all kind of stuff. And ‘You’re here. You’re from here. Come be a hero.’ It was just real nice knowing fans knew your name. You just felt famous walking around and it definitely made an impression on me,” Elam said.
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Click on the photo of Patrick Graffree above to view a video of the defensive lineman talking about fan excitement and his love for social media.
By LARRY VAUGHT
Kentucky redshirt defensive lineman Patrick Graffree believe he is “learning and getting better” every day he practices under Mark Stoops and defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot this spring.
“I have been getting in with the twos (second unit) and rotating in. That is what I want to do. I don’t want to sit the bench any more. I didn’t come here to do that,” said Graffree, who had 11 quarterback sacks during his senior season at Central Hardin High School in 2011.
Here’s more of what Graffree had to say about spring practice as the Cats adjust to Stoops and his coaching staff.
Question: How is spring practice going for you?
Graffree: “I am excited for the season. Every day is a new day and we are getting better every day. The defense is easier compared to last year. The coaches like everything done right. So if you have to do everything right from little drills to team periods.”
Question: Did the redshirt year help you?
Graffree: “Yeah it did because I got in the weight room. I came in at 260 (pounds) and last year I swear I was like 280, so I gained 20 pounds in a year. I put on a lot of muscle. But the only thing that hurt me was like last year in the summer I was stiff because I was getting strong too fast. I am just trying to loosen up and work on technique things so I can play this year.”
Question: How is defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh to play for?
Graffree: “He is a good coach. He knows everything because he played in the SEC at Auburn. He teaches us everything he knows and he coached great players like Glen Dorsey, Tyson Gay at LSU. They are in the NFL and making money. If a coach has coached guys in the NFL, I want to listen to him because he is a good guy.”
Question: Is he tough, laid back, funny?
Graffree: “Coach, it is just a matter of the day. There is a time to joke around, a time to be serious. You just have to know when he is serious and when he is not.”
Question: Can his physical size/prowess be intimidating?
Graffree: “No, but I think I could take him a wrestling match. I am pretty strong myself. I could take him.”
Question: Is there a particular teammate that has helped you the most?
Graffree: “(Senior) Donte Rumph. Watching him and PC (Cobble) work and play last year was great. I look at them and make sure I do everything right like they do.”
Question: Is it ironic that Rumph’s shoulder injury could lead to more playing time for you this spring?
Graffree: “It is football. Everybody is going to get hurt. So you just have to step up when Coach calls your number.”
Question: Are you still enjoying life as much daily as you did before you got to Kentucky?
Graffree: “I am a dream chaser, so I like doing everything. I like the school aspect of it. I like football. You can’t do one without the other, so I am just having fun with my teammates. I love Kentucky. I am glad I am here. Football has taught me a lot of things. The classroom has taught me a lot of things. I have met a lot of new people. It has been a good experience.”
Question: How have classes been?
Graffree: “It has been good. The professors work with you on a tough schedule that we have. They try to base their schedule around you to make you feel comfortable doing homework. Overall, it’s really a good thing.”
Question: What is the weak part of your game?
Graffree: “I have to read the cutoff block. I am playing three technique and noseguard. I have to be able to play both positions. I just want to get on the field. I don’t care where I play.”
Question: Will this be a more physical defense this year?
Graffree: “Yes it will be. We have a lot of blitzes and formations we are going to come and tackle you. That is our mentality. We are going straight to the ball.”
Question: How good is junior college defensive end Za’Darius Smith?
Graffree: “Z is a grown man. He knows what he is doing. He does everything right. His technique is just great. Him and Bud (Dupree) pass rushing and playing those end spots, ain’t nobody stopping them. That will help us all.”
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Mister Cobble (97) during spring practice Wednesday. (Clay Jackson photo)
By LARRY VAUGHT
After all he’s been through at Kentucky, adjusting to new coaches and a new defensive system has not been an overwhelming challenge for senior defensive tackle Mister Cobble this spring.
“It is a change. It is a new system, it is different. But this is my third set of coaches since I have been here, and every year it changes. I just like to take it like it is a new approach and it is something new coming in, so I just buy into the system as quick as I can and get into the system and get used to it,” said Cobble, who has played in 22 games the last seasons and started 13 times. Change is always good if change is for the better. If it is something that is going to make the team better as a unit, I feel like I will do whatever you want me to do.”
Cobble has 59 career tackles, including six for loss and three quarterback sacks. Yet he’s failed to have the breakthrough season many expected after he had over 300 tackles in high school at Central. He was redshirted his freshman season and then was academically ineligible for all of the 2010 season, his redshirt freshman year, except for the BBVA Compass Bowl. He led UK’s defensive linemen with 33 tackles, including five against Louisville and LSU, in 2011 and last year played well the first three games before an illness forced him to miss two games and spend the rest of the season rebuilding his strength and stamina.
“I have yet to be able to put the best out there because of injuries and my academics. I feel like this year if I keep working and get myself better, I will be able to get on the field and do everything possible to help the team and show all that I can do,” he said.
New defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh, who played at Auburn, has been pushing Cobble in spring drills.
“I felt like the style he wants from me is similar to what I like. From his past being a defensive lineman himself, he has more experience in games and a more detailed viewing of my position that he can give me. I feel like that is better for my abilities to help me get better because he’s been there doing what I am doing. He knows what I am going through,” Cobble said.
“The defense is simpler this year. I can say that. It is not as complex as it used to be. Every day we come in it may be something different, but it is not like tedious or different alterations to everything. It’s just something you come out and do. It’s more fun. When we come out to practice, it is not as complex. One play, bam. We know what to do and can do it.”
The senior said the Wildcats do feel they have to prove there is more talent on the team than most college football analysts, and even UK fans, believe after last year’s 2-10 season.
“We always feel that way. We always try to be better than we used to be. Even though it seems like people think we have a chip on our shoulder, which we do, we try to come out and take it one day at a time to get better,” Cobble said. “It is my last year and I am going to have as much fun as possible. Every day is countdown for me. It is my last chance to get better and get our team better.”
Cobble goes into his senior season with no regrets because he feels he has grown on and off the field because of the trials and tribulations he has faced the last four years.
“I feel like I have grown more as a person first and then as a player. I feel like off the field, I have matured a lot and I needed to,” he said. “Then on the field I have gained more experience being here. I feel like I take a different approach to things. My attitude is better. I can see myself changing day to day.
“It is a lot of mental stress with all the things surrounding you in the outside world coming in on you, but if you try to take everything one day at a time, you can do it and it will be fine. It’s just certain things people can’t handle. Some people can, some people can’t. I learned that the hard way, but it has made me a better person in the long run.”
Now he’s ready for his final season that could include having UK face five teams — Alabama, Louisville, Texas A&M, Florida and Georgia — ranked in the preseason top 10. However, Cobble thinks the demanding schedule could be the right way to start the Mark Stoops’ coaching era at Kentucky and right way for him to end his career.
“It is more exciting than scary. I like going against big-name opponents,” he said. “That allows me to go on there and match myself up against them and go against them. Rankings don’t matter to me. We go out on the field and determines who is better by who wins at the end of the day. It’s an opportunity for us to show what we can do and that we can play with those teams. If you are a competitor and believe in your team, you want to play the best.”
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Alvin Dupree
By ASHLEY SCOBY
Bud Dupree may not know all the X’s and O’s of playing defensive end yet. But he sure likes to hit people.
That quality, among others, is why the coaching staff is high on Dupree’s position switch. The junior, who played primarily at outside linebacker last year, has been switched to the line with the arrival of the new coaching staff. His enjoyment of physical contact has been a big part of his success so far.
“I like contact,” he said with a smile. “I like hard-nosed football.”
Playing for the first time significantly at defensive end has been a transition for Dupree, but one that he is used to as someone who has switched positions “forever.” The motivation to be the best defensive end he can be has showed itself so far to the coaching staff.
“I love Bud,” said defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh. “He comes to work every single day. He’s what you love to coach because he’s a guy that wants to be better. I sent him a text and said, ‘Hey, let’s get better next week.’ He says, ‘Hey, I just want to be good, Coach.’ When you have guys like that that want to work, those little things will come.”
Those “little things” include the basics of playing defensive end, especially at the SEC level.
“I’m used to the fast pace so it’s just really technique,” Dupree said. “When you’re going really fast and (using) techniques I haven’t done before, it’s pretty hard.”
Although difficult at first, Dupree has been excited about the transition. Knowing the success that UK defensive coordinator DJ Eliot and head coach Mark Stoops had with defensive linemen at Florida State has made him even more excited to start practicing with a hand on the ground this season.
At the other end position is newcomer Za’Darius Smith, a highly-ranked JUCO player who will add some size and athleticism to the line. He is listed at 6’6 and 257 pounds, and had played previously under Brumbaugh. The coach has been using Smith during demonstrations for the rest of the team.
“He’s the guy that understands what I’m looking for and how to do things,” Brumbaugh said. “He’s still learning because it’s a different pace from junior college to here when you’ve got good athletic offensive tackles and tight ends. He’s still learning the speed of the game here.”
Although still adjusting to the speed, much like Dupree is adjusting to learning new techniques, both players show the raw potential that the coaching staff is looking for.
That potential at the defensive end position will be even more important now that Donte Rumph is out indefinitely with a “fairly significant” injury. Rumph, at defensive tackle, had been one of the most consistent players on the defensive side, according to Brumbaugh.
With that injury, the rest of the line now has to fill some important (and fairly large) shoes.
“Somebody’s got to step up and be that nucleus of players,” Brumbaugh said. “You’re going to lose players and the biggest thing is that’s why I push my second team and third team guys to get reps so that they get better. Now you’re going to have a drop-off but the thing of it is, can you still function and win ball games?”
With the potential success coming out of the budding defensive end position, that drop-off on the line could be less significant than coaches expect. Although Dupree and Smith are both new to playing as SEC defensive ends, their raw explosiveness and speed will be assets.
That desire to hit people could come in handy too.
A former All-Southeastern Conference defensive tackle at Auburn and member of LSU’s staff during its national championship run in 2007, Jimmy Brumbaugh has joined Mark Stoops’ staff at Kentucky as an assistant coach for defensive linemen, Stoops announced Tuesday.
“I think Jimmy will do a tremendous job in player development,” Stoops said. “It’s of major importance to teach defensive line play at the level of expectation that Coach Eliot (defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot) and I have.
“Jimmy comes from the heritage of the legendary Pete Jenkins,” Stoops continued. Jenkins coached defensive line play for decades in the SEC (including Brumbaugh at Auburn), other colleges and in the National Football League. “When I talked with Jimmy, he blew me away with his organization and plan of how he teaches and develops the defensive line.”
Brumbaugh has impressive credentials as a player and most recently a coach over the last 15-plus years. Brumbaugh’s most recent BCS stop was a two-year stint at Syracuse University, where he coached the defensive tackles in 2011 and the defensive line in 2010. While with the Orange, Brumbaugh helped guide the team to an 8-5 record his first season and a victory in the 2010 New Era Pinstripe Bowl over Kansas State.
SU showed drastic improvements in national defensive rankings in 2010 under Brumbaugh, moving from 81st in scoring defense to 17th and 37th in total defense to seventh. One of the reasons for the defensive improvements was two-time All-Big East defensive end Chandler Jones, who was drafted 21st overall by the New England Patriots in the 2012 NFL Draft.
“I’m glad to be part of Coach Stoops’ vision for the Kentucky program,” Brumbaugh said. “Watching his defense this year, and knowing his attention to detail, is exciting.
“I’m glad to be part of the Big Blue Nation. When you think of the tradition of the SEC, and having played at Kentucky (during the 1995 season), I’m glad to be here and have the opportunity to be in this one-of-a-kind league.”
Prior to his time at Syracuse, Brumbaugh coached the defensive line at Louisiana Tech in 2008 and 2009, helping the Bulldogs to an 8-5 record, including a win over SEC foe Mississippi State and a win in the 2008 Independence Bowl over Northern Illinois. Brumbaugh took over a defensive front that ranked 46th nationally against the rush in 2007 and moved that ranking to 13th at the conclusion of the 2008 season
Brumbaugh’s defensive front also ranked 45th nationally in sacks in 2008, led by D’Anthony Smith, who was a two-time first-team All-Western Athletic Conference performer after ranking second in the league among defensive linemen with 65 tackles. Smith was not the only player that saw success under Brumbaugh in 2008 as eight Bulldog defensive linemen recorded at least one sack. Overall, Louisiana Tech earned 27 sacks in 2008, which was the most by a Bulldog team in nearly a decade. Tech also recorded a 21-0 shutout win against San Jose State in 2008, which was the school’s first shutout since 1996, spanning 148 games.
The native of Keystone Heights, Fla., is not only known for his coaching of defensive fronts, but also his knowledge of strength and conditioning. Brumbaugh served two seasons as an assistant strength and conditioning coordinator at LSU in 2006 and 2007, helping lead the Tigers to the 2007 national championship and a Sugar Bowl championship after the ’06 season. While with the Tigers, Brumbaugh helped produce NFL-ready talent, helping 12 players get drafted, including five first-round picks.
Before his stop at LSU, Brumbaugh got his first coaching role at Jacksonville State as a student assistant coach, guiding the Gamecocks to the 2004 Ohio Valley Conference championship and a 9-2 record. He spent the 2005 season at Tennessee-Chattanooga as the defensive line coach before going to LSU.
Brumbaugh recently completed a one-year term at East Mississippi Community College, where he was in charge of the defensive line and the strength and conditioning coordinator. Brumbaugh helped lead the Lions to a top-10 national ranking with an 8-2 record en route to the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges North Division championship. Brumbaugh’s defensive line had a solid season, collecting a combined 224 tackles, including 44.5 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks and seven fumbles forced. For the season, the EMCC defense allowed just 74.5 rushing yards per game and only 15.3 points per game.
Before moving into the coaching ranks, Brumbaugh had a fantastic career as a player at Auburn and spent some time in professional football. At Auburn, Brumbaugh started 44 of his 48 career games, gathering 291 tackles and 15 sacks as a nose tackle and defensive tackle. Brumbaugh was named Freshman All-SEC in 1995, second-team All-SEC in 1996 and first-team All-SEC in 1997. During his time at Auburn, Brumbaugh helped the team earn the 1997 SEC Western Division championship and won the 1997 Peach Bowl and 1996 Independence Bowl. Auburn played in the Outback Bowl following his freshman season.
After his collegiate career ended, Brumbaugh signed a free-agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers in 2000 although most of his professional playing career was spent in the XFL with the Birmingham Bolts and in arena football with the Georgia Force and Birmingham Steel Dogs.
By LARRY VAUGHT
The excitement for Kentucky football just keeps escalating.
Wide receiver Deangelo Yancey of Atlanta, one of UK’s early commits, posted this on Twitter tonight: “Just got off the phone with Coach Brown(new offensive coordinator) ! Can’t wait to get down to Lexington now.! #BBN #kentucky.”
Another Atlanta standout, athlete Darren Dowdell, tweeted that he “just missed” Brown’s call and was going to call him back. He’s also a commit UK needs to keep.
Then footballscoop.com noted that sources indicated East Mississippi defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh would join the UK staff to coach the same position. Brumbaugh was a Syracuse for two seasons prior to this last season when he was at East Mississippi, a junior college power. He was also on the 2007 LSU staff — along wth new UK secondary coach Dale Peveto — as strength and conditioning coach when the Tigers won the national championship. Brumbaugh also fits the age bracket of coach Mark Stoops’ young staff as he is only 35. He played at Auburn and was an all-conference defensive lineman.
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