Off The Hook Sports continues its 2022 Tennessee football preseason preview on the top 25 impact players for the Vols this upcoming season.

Coming in at No. 20 is redshirt senior LaTrell Bumphus.

Past Performance

LaTrell Bumphus has been doing this a long time. The upcoming sixth-year “super” senior stands out as one of a few athletes on the team to have spanned three separate coaching administrations.

But perhaps nobody on the squad has had such a wide variety of success and change in atmosphere from season to season. Bumphus’ journey to his sixth and final season saw two roles on the field, a few injury-riddled seasons and a breakout year before enduring a once-in-a-century global pandemic.

Bumphus was recruited by Butch Jones in 2016 and committed to the Vols shortly after. He signed his letter of intent in 2017 and joined the Vols that season. Bumphus appeared in 10 games and totaled one tackle, which he recorded in his debut against Indiana State.

Bumphus was in for an unexpected turn in year two. First-year coach Jeremy Pruitt experimented with transitioning Bumphus into a tight end. He saw action in all 12 games but was moved back to the defensive line to start the 2019 season.

His junior year was by far his best yet. Bumphus tied for second with six tackles for loss and split minutes with Greg Emerson and Aubrey Solomon, starting six games and totaling 23 tackles on the season. He also totaled two sacks.

Bumphus suffered a knee injury halfway through the 2020 season which held him out most of the year. He sat behind Matthew Butler and failed made the injury report for undisclosed reasons in 2021, managing to total seven tackles in his four appearances against Bowling Green, Florida, Ole Miss and Alabama. Bumphus totaled seven tackles in that four-game stretch.

Opportunities

Injuries have plagued Bumphus’ potential as of late. The emergence of Matthew Butler last season didn’t help either.

Bumphus continued his bad luck with injuries in spring camp, suffering yet another knee injury on day one. Because of this, the super senior lineman was declared out for the entirety of spring practices.

The Vols have seen several injuries through the early portion of spring practice and Bumphus’ is likely the most concerning. Once or maybe even twice is bad luck – three separate injuries across three seasons is never a good sign.

If he can stay healthy, Bumphus has a real shot at being a major contributor in his final season. He will also be the oldest member of the Rodney Garner-led unit. With that comes a certain authority – he will be expected to be a leader to new guys such as Tyre West and Jordan Phillips.

Hear it from…

Garner wants Bumphus to be more of a leader this season following the departure of the Vols’ main voice on the line from last season, Matthew Butler.

“I know this year (there has been a) focus on putting him out front and making him be a leader, getting him outside of his comfort zone. It’s been good for him because he’s just a guy who does everything right. You don’t have to worry about it. He’s not going to skip reps, he’s not going to do this. He’s raised right, he’s going to do it right.”

“But now, putting him out front, making him be a leader and challenge others to hold them accountable; it’s been good for him to do that.”

Bumphus will be out for an indefinite amount of time – all that is known is that he will miss the remainder of spring practice. Assuming he will be back in time for game one against Ball State on Sept. 1, that leadership role will still be expected of him. As it would with any super senior.

Garner also mentioned that Bumphus is, “one of the finest human beings I’ve had the opportunity to coach.” But that he is not a verbal leader by heart. The transition to being that leading presence while handling another injury with potential to limit his playing time will be tough.

But Tennessee needs it. Behind Bumphus and junior nose tackle Omari Thomas is a lot of inexperience. Potential, especially in Elijah Simmons, but still inexperience. Meanwhile, Bumphus has been slowly working towards a really strong year – he just has to get to the field and seize that opportunity.