Tracy Rocker was a big loss for Tennessee football given his proven credentials. However, Jimmy Brumbaugh has a pretty extensive track record as well, so his arrival on Rocky Top should be a welcome one for Vol fans. With only the most recent two exceptions, which we’ll get to, Brumbaugh has proven his ability to devlop talent and turn programs into winners.
To get the negative out of the way, he showed promise in 2019 Mel Tucker’s staff with the Colorado Buffaloes. And he did the same thing with the Maryland Terrapins the two years before that. But that was three straight losing seasons, and his connection to DJ Durkin’s staff at UMD, as a former strength coach, is concerning. He was also let go in 2012 by the Syracuse Orange.
Okay, so those things are why he’s not higher on this list. But Brumbaugh did an amazing job developing the Kentucky Wildcats’ defense in four years under Mark Stoops, and that final year was the program’s first winning season. He left after that, but his fingerprints are all over the culture that was built there.
Brumbaugh’s experience as a strength coach is also, still, valuable when leading defensive linemen. And dating back to 2008, he helped Derek Dooley achieve his only winning season as head coach of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. So his proven success and experience matters, putting him in the top half of coaches on this list.