Florida hires Texas defensive line coach Chris Rumph to same position
Texas defensive line coach Chris Rumph has accepted the same position at Florida, according to a source.
The move reunites Rumph with new Gators coach Jim McElwain. When Alabama won the BCS title in 2011, Rumph was the Crimson Tide’s defensive line coach while McElwain was offensive coordinator.
Rumph replaces Terrell Williams, who stayed with the Gators for just over a month before returning to the NFL, this time to be defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins. Williams had spent the past three seasons coaching the position for the Oakland Raiders.
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Rumph gives McElwain another much-needed recruiter, one who was among the nation’s best for the recent 2015 class. Rumph will help McElwain avoid the dire recruiting situation he inherited in the aftermath of the firing of his predecessor, Will Muschamp.
This past season was the 43-year-old Rumph’s first at Texas. In addition to being the Longhorns’ defensive line coach, the Orangeburg, South Carolina native was also assistant head coach for defense.
He came to Austin after three seasons coaching the defensive line at Alabama and being an assistant at Clemson from 2006-10. He was first defensive line coach before moving to defensive ends for his final two seasons.
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Rumph was outside linebackers coach at Memphis from 2003-05 and spent a year previously coaching defensive backs at South Carolina State. He was coach at his alma mater, Calhoun County High School in South Carolina, from 1997-01 after a short stint as graduate assistant for the Gamecocks.
He played linebacker at South Carolina from 1991-94. He is the third assistant gone from Texas coach Charlie Strong’s original staff, joining former wide receivers coach Les Koenning and tight ends coach Bruce Chambers, who were both fired in late December.
The Longhorns had a 6-7 record in Strong’s inaugural campaign this past season. McElwain was hired in December from Colorado State, where he had a 22-16 record in three years, including a 10-2 mark this past season.
He replaced Muschamp, who had a 28-21 record in four seasons with the Gators.
