Tennessee Vols LB Colton Jumper ready for bigger role with Darrin Kirkland Jr. out
Colton Jumper didn’t receive the recruiting treatment that many of his Tennessee teammates enjoyed.
“You see these guys that are 5-stars, and recruiting is fun for them,” Jumper said Thursday. “For me, I was the one calling the coaches. I was the one trying to put in the work and getting rejected. That stung.”
Now, Jumper enters his senior season as UT’s starting middle linebacker.
Jumper’s lone Division I scholarship offers coming out of high school were from Navy and Air Force. He came to Tennessee as a preferred walk-on. The past two seasons, he stepped in as a spot starter.
How to watch:Vols-Georgia Tech: TV, radio, streaming, kickoff information
Jumper’s task will be bigger than ever this year, following coach Butch Jones’ announcement Friday that top middle linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. will miss the entire season.
Kirkland had knee surgery Wednesday to repair a meniscus tear he suffered last week. Jones had hoped Kirkland would return at some point during the season, “but, unfortunately, that’s not the news that came about,” Jones said.
"Thank you everyone for your calls/text/tweets," Kirkland wrote on Twitter on Friday. "God is doing something special in my life. I'll be back."
Jumper has experience in this role
Because of Kirkland’s injury, Jumper had been slated to start No. 24 Tennessee’s season opener against Georgia Tech on Monday in Atlanta (TV: ESPN, 8 p.m. ET).
Now, the role could be his long-term.
Jumper worked at middle linebacker during the spring, but he said he was practicing at strongside linebacker during camp before Kirkland’s injury.
Middle linebacker is “where I’m most comfortable,” said Jumper, who went on scholarship before the 2016 season.
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Jumper has past experience filling in for Kirkland, who missed five games last season with a high ankle sprain. Jumper started seven games and ranked fourth on the team with 61 tackles.
Dillon Bates and true freshman Will Ignont are options behind Jumper at middle linebacker. Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said Thursday that Bates’ positioning at second string is partly due to how he matches up against Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense.
“In this particular game, he just seems to have a knack,” Shoop said of Bates.
As for other injuries, Jones said Friday that wide receiver Josh Smith (shoulder sprain) and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle (leg) would dress for Monday’s game, but whether they play will be a game-time decision.
Jones has idea on starting QB
Although Jones hasn’t publicly announced who will start at quarterback, he’s not entering the weekend gazing into a Magic 8 Ball.
“We have a pretty good idea of who the quarterback will be for us,” Jones said.
Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano are the two options. Jones hasn’t kept them in the dark.“We met with all the quarterbacks and kind of (went) through the game plan and kind of what we expect,” Jones said.
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And although Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson has four options listed for starting quarterback, Jones said “we have a pretty good idea of who the quarterback will be for them, as well,” though he didn’t specify who he thought that would be.
Yellow Jackets junior Matthew Jordan was the backup last year to three-year starter Justin Thomas, who graduated.