:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66286094/1191356949.jpg.0.jpg)
What a whirlwind morning this has been for Tennessee football.
After letting defensive line coach Tracy Rocker walk away to South Carolina, Jeremy Pruitt hired Colorado defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh to replace him. And after outside linebackers coach Chris Rumph left for the Texans, Pruitt has now reportedly replaced him too.
Shelton Felton, a former support staffer under Pruitt, is returning to Knoxville to be a defensive assistant. Felton will have an on-field role, per Bruce Feldman and David Ubben, more than likely coaching the outside linebackers.
SOURCES: OLB coach Shelton Felton is leaving #Akron and is expected to return to the #Tennessee coaching staff for an on-field role sources tell me and @DavidUbben. Felton was a quality control analyst at UT in 2018.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 10, 2020
Felton left Tennessee for an on-field gig with Akron last season. Just one year later, he’s set to return to Knoxville. He’s a veteran of the Georgia High School coaching ranks, spending time as a head coach at that level before landing at Tennessee-Chattanooga. He coached outside linebackers for the Mocs, before landing as a quality control staffer at Tennessee in 2018.
Felton was actually put on the road recruiting by Jeremy Pruitt during the 2019 recruiting cycle after some staff changes.
So Jeremy Pruitt has now reworked his entire defensive staff, outside of Derrick Ansley. Brian Niedermeyer will take Kevin Sherrer’s place at inside linebacker. Jimmy Brumbaugh takes Tracy Rocker’s spot on the defensive line, while Felton will take Rumph’s spot at outside linebacker.
With Joe Osovet coming down for an on-field role with the tight ends and Jay Graham now in place at running backs coach for the departed David Johnson, Pruitt’s 2020 staff would now appear to be totally in place.