Tennessee defensive line commit reacts to news of Jimmy Brumbaugh’s dismissal
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North Carolina native Isaac Washington has been through this before.
When the 6-foot-3, 268-pound lineman first committed to Jeremy Pruitt’s program, Tracy Rocker was Tennessee’s defensive line coach. Following Rocker’s offseason departure from Tennessee to South Carolina, the Gamecocks quickly extended a scholarship offer to Washington.
However, after meeting Rocker’s replacement at Tennessee, Jimmy Brumbaugh, Washington reaffirmed his commitment to the Vols.
Now, four games into Brumbaugh’s tenure on Rocky Top, the defensive line coach is out as Jeremy Pruitt made the decision to dismiss the assistant coach over the weekend.
“Yesterday I decided to make a change at the d-line position,” Pruitt said on his decision to remove Brumbaugh from Tennessee’s staff. “Coach Brumbaugh done a really nice job for us, worked his tail off. Sometimes, from a philosophical standpoint, things are just not a fit, and it just didn’t work out for us. So I decided to do that and I’m going to coach the d-line for the rest of the season.”
How did that news sit with Washington?
Better than you’d probably think.
Here’s what the North Carolina native shared on Monday evening:
i been said it and ima say it again, I AINT GOING NOWHERE, this a lifestyle, we really finna change @Vol_Football tha whole culture. V4L on dis side, ain’t gon neva switch up??
— BIGGORILLA? (@isaacw_74) October 19, 2020
That’s good news for a Tennessee program set to potentially lose a number of defensive linemen to graduation this offseason.
Washington is rated as a three-star prospect, the No. 43 defensive tackle in the nation and the No. 39 overall prospect from North Carolina in the 2021 recruiting cycle by 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Tennessee’s 2021 Recruiting Class
| Player | Rank/Position | Stars | State |
| Terrence Lewis | #1 outside linebacker | 5-star | Florida |
| Dylan Brooks | #1 weak side DE | 4-star | Alabama |
| Aaron Willis | #10 outside linebacker | 4-star | Maryland |
| Cody Brown | #9 running back | 4-star | Georgia |
| Kaemen Marley | #5 athlete | 4-star | North Carolina |
| KaTron Evans | #10 defensive tackle | 4-star | Maryland |
| Kaidon Salter | #7 dual-threat QB | 4-star | Texas |
| Hudson Wolfe | #7 tight end | 4-star | Tennessee |
| Jordan Mosley | #44 receiver | 4-star | Alabama |
| Julian Nixon | #47 receiver | 4-star | Georgia |
| Walker Merrill | #55 receiver | 4-star | Tennessee |
| Miles Campbell | #18 tight end | 3-star | Georgia |
| Roc Taylor | #29 athlete | 3-star | Alabama |
| Trinity Bell | #31 athlete | 3-star | Alabama |
| Colby Smith | #46 offensive tackle | 3-star | North Carolina |
| De’Shawn Rucker | #41 safety | 3-star | Florida |
| Jaylen Wright | #38 running back | 3-star | North Carolina |
| Darrell Jackson | #43 strong side DE | 3-star | Florida |
| Elijah Howard | #44 running back | 3-star | Tennessee |
| J’Marion Gooch | #63 offensive tackle | 3-star | Tennessee |
| Edwin White | #55 safety | 3-star | Alabama |
| Isaac Washington | #43 defensive tackle | 3-star | North Carolina |
| Jay Jones | #73 cornerback | 3-star | Alabama |
| Christian Charles | Unranked athlete | NA | Georgia |
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
