Jumper, Ex-Baylor Star, To Start For Vols Against Bowling Green

Opens At Middle Linebacker Saturday At Nissan Stadium

  • Monday, August 31, 2015
  • Special to Chattanoogan.com
Coch Butch Jones held his first pre-game press conference of the season Monday. The Vols open the season on Saturday by playing Bowling Green in Nashville at Nissan Stadium.
Coch Butch Jones held his first pre-game press conference of the season Monday. The Vols open the season on Saturday by playing Bowling Green in Nashville at Nissan Stadium.
photo by Tennessee Athletics

When 25th-ranked Tennessee plays Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, former Baylor School standout Colton Jumper will be the Vols’ starting middle linebacker.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 227-pound Jumper played at Baylor for coach Phil Massey and recorded 251 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, two interceptions, caused five fumbles, recovered two and blocked a field goal during his Red Raiders career.

“Colton Jumper has worked very hard,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones was quoted as saying Monday on the Vols’ official Twitter account.

“Understanding the expectations and the defensive system has really benefitted him.”

Following his time at Baylor, Jumper, now a sophomore walk-on, spent a post-graduate year at The Hun School in Princeton, N.J. He was one of 21 true freshmen to play vs. Utah State in the 2014 season opener.

Jumper, whose brother Will is a freshman tight end at Tennessee, was a Division II-AA all-state selection in his junior and senior seasons and has earned the respect of his teammates in the preseason.

“Colton is a hard worker and never complains about anything,” said junior linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, the returning stat leader with 101 tackles (63 solos). “The whole linebacker room is like that.”

Jumper was involved with a highly competitive battle for the starting position with Darrin Kirkland Jr., and Kenny Bynum.

Curt Maggitt is the other starting linebacker.

Reeves-Maybin was not surprised at all that Jumper emerged as the starter.

“I always knew he could play,” Reeves-Maybin said. “When he got here he was right on cue. He was keeping up with everybody; it didn’t take him too long to learn the defense. He was really in a position to play right away.

“Whether it was Jumper or Kirkland or Kenny, whoever got the job was going to be a hardworking guy who just came in every day prepared.”

The Utah State game was the only action Jumper saw in 2014.

With all of the anticipation that comes with the start of a new season for the Vols, the even bigger task at hand is maintaining consistency and development despite heightened emotions. Fundamentals, quality reps and strong mental efforts will be reinforced this week, as UT prepares for the opener.

"As we all know, [the] first game is the game of unknowns, [we] expect the unexpected," Jones said. "There's so many things, when I talk about what constitutes the game of unknowns, not just from statistics in tendencies from your opponent, but from ourselves as well. It's the first time that our team will truly take the field as Team 119. How do we respond to playing in a different environment, [and] all those things that are associated with that?

"This [week] will tell us a little bit more about the maturity, the growth, and the development of our leadership on this football team."

Heading into their matchup against the Falcons, Tennessee also prepares to introduce another high number of freshmen to the playing field. Last season, the Vols played 23 true freshmen which marked the most in the country. This year, Coach Jones feels Team 119 could nearly match those numbers, putting another emphasis on the importance of leadership.

"In terms of freshmen, we could play upwards to the amount of about 22 true freshmen Saturday afternoon," Jones said. "Arguably, this football team could be younger than (last year’s) How are these individuals going to react when the spotlight goes on and you're playing for real now, and there's a score on the scoreboard and everything's about winning the football game?

"When they get on the bus to go over to Nashville, everyone has a concrete job description, and being able to execute their assignment [is critical]. I know our players are looking forward to playing in Nissan Stadium and playing in Nashville."

Kelly Tasked With Stepping In For McNeil

Brian Randolph has formed a formidable safety duo with LaDarrell McNeil over the years and was about to change his No. 37 to No. 33 in honor of McNeil, who will miss an extended period of time with a neck injury.

McNeil told him to keep wearing No. 37. Randolph describes seeing his friend go down with an injury as one of the hardest things he has had to deal with in his career.

"He's a great guy on and off the field," Randolph said. "It's an extreme loss. He's a very selfless player, that's why you don't hear a lot about him."

The Vols will look to Todd Kelly Jr. to fill the void left by McNeil's injury. Randolph said that Kelly is the best guy to step up in this situation, describing him as "a natural football player" and someone who has one of the top football IQs on the team.

"When we found out the news about LaDarrell, the first thing Todd came up to me and said was, 'I'm not going to let you down,'" he said. "That just shows that he's out there, he wants to play for his brothers left and right of him. He's not out there for himself."

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)

 

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