Chris Rumph was named as Clemson’s defensive ends coach on Dec. 4, 2023.
Rumph, 51, returns to Clemson with more than 25 years of coaching experience, including the last four years at the NFL level and 17 years of Division I experience from 2003-19 with some of the biggest name brands in college football. After serving as head coach at Calhoun (S.C.) County High School from 1997-2001, as defensive backs coach at South Carolina State in 2002 and as outside linebackers coach at Memphis from 2003-05, Rumph made his Power Five coaching debut at Clemson, serving as the Tigers’ defensive line coach from 2006-10.
“For me, this is coming home,” Rumph said. “Clemson is a great fit for me and my family in terms of the town and the quality of the people. The passion of the fan base is second-to-none… Clemson is a program that has won consistently and won at the highest levels under Coach Swinney. I am excited to do my part to return the program where it aspires to be and once again have Clemson in the College Football Playoff and competing for national championships year in and year out.“
In Rumph’s first stint at Clemson, he contributed to the success of two of the most decorated defensive ends in program history. In 2006, he worked with senior defensive end Gaines Adams, who became the second unanimous All-American in program history that season before being selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. In 2010, he guided junior Da’Quan Bowers — now a member of Clemson’s support staff — as Bowers led the nation in sacks (15.5) and tackles for loss (26.0) en route to winning both the Nagurski Trophy and the Ted Hendricks Award.
Rumph spent the last four years in the NFL including the last two as defensive line coach with the Minnesota Vikings. He served in the same capacity for the Chicago Bears in 2021, helping the Bears to 49 sacks, fourth-most in the NFL. He coached outside linebackers for the Houston Texans in his NFL coaching debut in 2020.
After his first stint at Clemson, Rumph went on to serve in various capacities at Alabama, Texas, Florida and Tennessee over a nine-season span. From 2011-13, he helped Alabama produce six NFL Draft picks along his defensive line in addition to helping the Crimson Tide bring home national championships in both 2011 and 2012. In both of those national title-winning seasons, Rumph’s group contributed to Alabama leading the nation in both total defense and scoring defense.
Rumph served…