New Tennessee defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh is all about the details

Jeremy Pruitt shook up his staff a bit this offseason, getting some new blood into Knoxville. Tracy Rocker, Kevin Sherrer and Chris Rumph each departed Pruitt’s staff, offering the third-year head coach a chance to reshape.

One of his first calls was to Colorado defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh, a former defensive lineman himself who played at Auburn. Brumbaugh was quickly announced as Rocker’s replacement, and according to Tennessee defensive tackle Matthew Butler, he hit the ground running.

During media availability on Thursday, Butler shared a story of just how quickly Brumbaugh went to work — and how meticulous he was.

“Even before spring ball started, he was a guy who was meticulous about the details,” Butler said. “He knows his stuff. He didn’t vary from that at all. He told us how it was going to be and he’s been consistent with that.

“His second day here, he pulled up the Georgia game. We could’ve done some things that could’ve changed the game. He went through it with a fine comb. That’s pretty impressive from a player to coach standpoint. He texted us a few minutes ago with clips to look at for practice. I really can’t over-emphasize it enough — very meticulous about the details.”

Brumbaugh inherits a veteran defensive line that finally looks the part of an SEC-level group. Though Emmit Gooden has been dismissed, the Volunteers still have six seniors on the defensive line. Thanks to the NCAA freezing eligibility this year, that veteran group could stay in place for 2021.

From the sound of things, Brumbaugh’s drive has already won over his players. We’ll see just how much this veteran line has developed when Tennessee takes the field for the opener against South Carolina in a little under a month.