Tennessee football: Five positives from Vols hiring DL coach Jimmy Brumbaugh

5. More junior college ties for Rocky Top

Hiring Joe Osovet and Jimmy Brumbaugh combined means one thing for Tennessee football. The Vols now have some major connections in the junior college ranks, and while they didn’t sign anybody this year, you always need to have a pipeline into that field just in case you need some immediate help. After all, players transfer, get hurt or leave early all the time.

Well, Brumbaugh is just the guy for that. He coached at East Mississippi Community College, known as Last Chance U, back in 2012. That’s a major connection to have, as the Vols could use top-notch talent coming out of there whenever they get the chance. Most junior college steals come from outside the South, but this is one big pipeline in the South for UT.

Right now, the Vols currently have two defensive linemen from that college on the team. Both Emmit Gooden Jr. and Darel Middleton came out of there. So Brumbaugh, coming in to coach the defensive line, already has an immediate connection with some of the players he will be working with, and nobody can deny that being a huge plus.

Going forward, look for Pruitt to use this connection. Even if it was just one year, any experience at Last Chance U is a huge plus. Brumbaugh just gave the Vols and Jeremy Pruitt a major recruiting advantage that could pay dividends in the future. Pruitt got some junior college help in each of his first two classes. It looks like a lot more are going to come.