A week and a half ago, it was reported that Tennessee was experiencing some more coaching changes on Jeremy Pruitt’s staff. On Friday, February 21st, Tennessee and Pruitt finally confirmed those changes.
Tennessee announced on Friday that Colorado defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh and Akron outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton are the two newest additions to UT’s coaching staff. Brumbaugh and Felton were hired to replace Tracy Rocker and Chris Rumph, respectively.
“I’m excited to announce that we have added Jimmy Brumbaugh and Shelton Felton to our coaching staff,” Pruitt said via a release. “They are both tireless workers and will bring a lot of positives to our staff in terms of coaching and recruiting. They are family men who will be outstanding role models and mentors for our student-athletes.”
Brumbaugh will serve as Tennessee’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach while Felton will be the Vols’ outside linebackers coach.
“Jimmy has a proven track record of developing outstanding football players everywhere he has been,” Pruitt said. “He also has experience coaching in the SEC and is familiar with the demands that come with coaching in this conference. We are excited to have Jimmy here at Tennessee and expect him to be a great addition to our coaching staff.”
Brumbaugh served as Colorado’s defensive line coach last season, joining Mel Tucker’s staff when he was hired as the Buffaloes’ head coach. Prior to that, he was a co-defensive coordinator at Maryland as well as their defensive line coach for two seasons. He’s also coached defensive lines at Kentucky (2013-16), Syracuse (2010-11), and Louisiana Tech (2008-09). He’s also coached at Jacksonville State, East Mississippi Community College, and Chattanooga.
The 43-year-old coach is credited with having developed several future NFL draft picks along the defensive line. At Kentucky, he coached Bud Dupree and helped turn him into a first-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also coached Za’Darius Smith at UK, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
All in all, four of Brumbaugh’s defensive linemen earned All-SEC honors while at Kentucky.
While at Syracuse, Brumbaugh coached Chandler Jones to All-Big East honors, and Jones was taken No. 21 overall in the first round by the New England Patriots in the 2012 NFL Draft.
At Colorado, Brumbaugh helped develop Mustafa Johnson into an All-Pac 12 honorable mention, earning 57 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks.
In his one season at East Mississippi Community College, Brumbaugh coached the defensive line and was the strength and conditioning coordinator. Six of the defensive linemen he coached in just that one season signed Division I scholarships, including Za’Darius Smith, who he would end up coaching at Kentucky.
Brumbaugh coached under Les Miles at LSU as a strength and conditioning coach from 2006-07. There, he helped the Tigers win a national title.
In total, Brumbaugh has helped coach 12 NFL Draft selections, including five players taken in the first round of the draft.
As a player, Brumbaugh was a starting defensive lineman at Auburn. The Gainesville, Florida native played for the Tigers from 1995-99 and started 44 games, recording 291 tackles and 15 sacks. He was a Freshman All-SEC selection in 1995 and was voted a Second Team All-SEC lineman in 1996 and a First Team All-SEC performer in 1997.
As for Felton, this will be his second stint at Tennessee. But it will be his first as an on-field coach for the Vols.
“Shelton is a guy who was with us in a quality control role during our first season, and did a fantastic job,” Pruitt stated. “I was impressed by his work ethic and knowledge of the game. He’s coached in college for several years, and he also was an outstanding high school coach in Georgia. His ability to connect with the players on and off the field will make him a valuable piece to our on-field coaching staff.”
Felton was on staff at Tennessee during Jeremy Pruitt’s first season in 2018 in an off-field role as a quality control assistant. Prior to his first stint at Tennessee, Felton served as an assistant coach at the University of Chattanooga. In 2017, Chattanooga held the No. 1 defense in the entire Southern Conference, as Felton coached the outside linebackers for the Mocs.
In his one year at Akron, Felton helped develop redshirt senior linebacker John Lako to an all-conference player. Lako led the entire Mid-American Conference and ranked fifth in the FBS in tackles with 138.
Prior to joining Chattanooga, Felton was the head coach of Crisp County High School in Cordele, Georgia. The Cougars went 3-7 in Felton’s first year in 2015 before he helped guide them to a 13-1 record and the school’s first ever state semifinal appearance in 2016. He coached four-star defensive end and current Auburn Tiger Markaviest Bryant and five-star outside linebacker and current Georgia Bulldog Quay Walker to All-American status as well.
Felton was also the defensive line coach and run game coordinator for two seasons at Colquitt County. He spent three years as the defensive coordinator for Dooly County High School prior to that. There, he coached future Auburn All-American Montravious Adams.
Felton played football for Troy as a defensive lineman from 1999-2002.
At Colorado, Brumbaugh made $175,000 this past season according to the USA Today assistant coaching salary database. This past year, Tracy Rocker, who Brumbaugh will be replacing, made $505,000 at Tennessee. At Akron, Felton made $110,000 last year. Rumph, the coach at UT who Felton will be replacing, made just over $800,000 last season with the Vols.
It has not been announced at this time what Brumbaugh and Felton’s contracts will be at Tennessee.
