Tennessee Football: Vols Linebacker Colton Jumper Granted Extra Year of Eligibility
Tennessee football linebacker Colton Jumper now has two years left with the Volunteers. The NCAA granted him a redshirt for the 2014 season.
Now we can say his struggles during the 2015 Tennessee football season were simply the makings of a freshman not ready to play.
Colton Jumper was supposed to be a senior going into the year, but the NCAA just granted him a redshirt for his first season with the Vols in 2014, according to Wes Rucker of GoVols247.
As a result, the former walk-on from Chattanooga, Tenn. now has two years left of eligibility with Tennessee football.
More from Vols Football
- How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
- Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
- Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
- Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
- Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay
Jumper saw action in only one play with the Vols in 2014, against the Utah State Aggies. He was officially a sophomore in 2015 and a junior in 2016.
But UTSports changed his official status on his bio to redshirt junior this year.
Last year, nobody would have considered this important news. Jumper received heavy criticism for his play in 2015. However, he won fans back over early in 2016 because of the significant improvements he made.
He can play any spot on the field at linebacker, and last year he filled in for Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
The Ohio Bobcats game was the first game where he impressed Vols fans. Then he became a star against the Florida Gators.
Jumper was a huge reason that Florida did not get a first down on any drive in the second half except for one.
That one was a touchdown drive in which the Vols were playing soft coverage to run out the clock.
Bob Shoop continued to sing the highest praises for Jumper and has made him a huge part of the linebacker rotation.
The reclassification of his years opens up a world of possibilities. If Jumper can continue to improve at the level he did from his freshman to sophomore years, he could look like an All-SEC linebacker his senior year.
Nobody saw that coming even six months ago.