University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Kelly Gerdin/Tennessee Athletics
VOL REPORT: Butler and Bumphus Embrace New Roles on D-Line
August 21, 2019 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- We're only 10 days away from the 128th season of Tennessee football and players and fans alike are eager for the first official whistle to sound.
The expectations, the competition and the hard work pulse throughout the Vols' roster and are particularly palpable on the defensive side of the ball, an area that head coach Jeremy Pruitt has focused on emphatically throughout fall camp.
None of those measures have fallen short on junior defensive lineman Matthew Butler, who is currently the most experienced in his group with 17 games under his belt. Pushed quickly into a guiding role after senior Emmit Gooden went down with a season-ending knee injury during camp, Butler has already prepared to step into that spot.
"I know there's a high expectation for me and I just try to meet it every day," the Raleigh, N.C., native said. "Whether I had been here for a day or for as long as I've been here, that's just the mentality that the whole team takes into everything.
"I'm very eager. We've been putting in the work not just all spring and fall, but really since the beginning of our careers — we're just ready to play games."
Butler, who was named 2018 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll, is unfazed by the pressure that comes with a lead role and he largely credits that to his experience in the VOLeaders Academy last year. VOLeaders Academy aims to inspire student-athletes to find ways to use their passion of sport and their influence to enact positive change that transcends their athletic success.
Through the program, Butler and 18 other UT student-athletes traveled to Rwanda for 10 days this summer to learn about how sports impact the country's culture. While there, he found that some of those experiences could also help him on Saturdays at Neyland Stadium.
"It was an awesome experience, being able to go to a different continent and a different country and learning how other people live," Butler said. "It's not really so much different from America. Then, when you're there, you're thinking how can I get better at football because you feel like you might be behind. But then at the same time, learning all of those things makes you a better person, leader and football player."
Focused on improving in every aspect from a season ago, the Vols defense continues to learn and develop as camp comes to a close.
"I feel like we've progressed a lot from day one," said Butler, who registered 13 tackles through nine games in 2018. "If we get tough coaching, we're able to capitalize on that coaching. If we get praise, we're able to capitalize on that praise. At the end of the day we're just trying to get better.
"There have been a few little tweaks because of coach Derrick Ansley, but we've really caught on to everything and we're understanding not just our assignment, but how the whole defense is around our assignment and what our assignment contributes to the whole defense."
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Bumphus Takes to the Defense
At the end of the 2018 season, junior LaTrell Bumphus joined the defensive line. After playing tight end for the first two seasons of his collegiate career, he has made one of the biggest adjustments as he embraces a new defense.
At 6-3, 273 pounds, Bumphus is looking the part, but he has also been impressing the Vols staff in fitting into his new place on the field.
"The guy that has probably stood out, that we think has the potential is Bumphus," defensive line coach Tracy Rocker told media last week. "Bumphus has really improved and is getting better as a football player. His body has changed. He's playing defensive end and it's been really good to have him there. And, he seems to enjoy it. He enjoys practice. He enjoys getting better. So that's been a plus for me. He's embraced it."
The Savannah, Tenn., native, echoes those sentiments and wants to help the team wherever he can.
"It's just something I can do and I am going to do what they ask me to do," Bumphus said. "I am feeling better (about the position). I kind of played it a little bit in high school ,so I have an understanding of it. With all the coaches and players, they help a lot as well. I am working with all the coaches because they are doing what is best for me. They know what the next step is I need to take."
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The expectations, the competition and the hard work pulse throughout the Vols' roster and are particularly palpable on the defensive side of the ball, an area that head coach Jeremy Pruitt has focused on emphatically throughout fall camp.
None of those measures have fallen short on junior defensive lineman Matthew Butler, who is currently the most experienced in his group with 17 games under his belt. Pushed quickly into a guiding role after senior Emmit Gooden went down with a season-ending knee injury during camp, Butler has already prepared to step into that spot.
"I know there's a high expectation for me and I just try to meet it every day," the Raleigh, N.C., native said. "Whether I had been here for a day or for as long as I've been here, that's just the mentality that the whole team takes into everything.
"I'm very eager. We've been putting in the work not just all spring and fall, but really since the beginning of our careers — we're just ready to play games."
Butler, who was named 2018 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll, is unfazed by the pressure that comes with a lead role and he largely credits that to his experience in the VOLeaders Academy last year. VOLeaders Academy aims to inspire student-athletes to find ways to use their passion of sport and their influence to enact positive change that transcends their athletic success.
Through the program, Butler and 18 other UT student-athletes traveled to Rwanda for 10 days this summer to learn about how sports impact the country's culture. While there, he found that some of those experiences could also help him on Saturdays at Neyland Stadium.
"It was an awesome experience, being able to go to a different continent and a different country and learning how other people live," Butler said. "It's not really so much different from America. Then, when you're there, you're thinking how can I get better at football because you feel like you might be behind. But then at the same time, learning all of those things makes you a better person, leader and football player."
Focused on improving in every aspect from a season ago, the Vols defense continues to learn and develop as camp comes to a close.
"I feel like we've progressed a lot from day one," said Butler, who registered 13 tackles through nine games in 2018. "If we get tough coaching, we're able to capitalize on that coaching. If we get praise, we're able to capitalize on that praise. At the end of the day we're just trying to get better.
"There have been a few little tweaks because of coach Derrick Ansley, but we've really caught on to everything and we're understanding not just our assignment, but how the whole defense is around our assignment and what our assignment contributes to the whole defense."
Â
Bumphus Takes to the Defense
At the end of the 2018 season, junior LaTrell Bumphus joined the defensive line. After playing tight end for the first two seasons of his collegiate career, he has made one of the biggest adjustments as he embraces a new defense.
At 6-3, 273 pounds, Bumphus is looking the part, but he has also been impressing the Vols staff in fitting into his new place on the field.
"The guy that has probably stood out, that we think has the potential is Bumphus," defensive line coach Tracy Rocker told media last week. "Bumphus has really improved and is getting better as a football player. His body has changed. He's playing defensive end and it's been really good to have him there. And, he seems to enjoy it. He enjoys practice. He enjoys getting better. So that's been a plus for me. He's embraced it."
The Savannah, Tenn., native, echoes those sentiments and wants to help the team wherever he can.
"It's just something I can do and I am going to do what they ask me to do," Bumphus said. "I am feeling better (about the position). I kind of played it a little bit in high school ,so I have an understanding of it. With all the coaches and players, they help a lot as well. I am working with all the coaches because they are doing what is best for me. They know what the next step is I need to take."
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Players Mentioned
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Saturday, April 11
Saturday, April 11
