Vikings Coaching Staff | Minnesota Vikings - vikings.com

Chris Rumph enters his first season with the Minnesota Vikings and third overall in the NFL as defensive line coach after spending the 2021 season as the defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears. Rumph brings two-plus decades of coaching experience, including 18 in the collegiate ranks and two in the NFL.

During his college coaching career, he worked with 25 NFL draft picks, including three first-round selections (DE Gaines Adams, DT Taven Bryan, DT Malcom Brown) and one Pro Bowler (S Quandre Diggs).

In the 2021 season, Rumph's second in the NFL, Chicago registered 49 sacks on the season, fourth-most in the league. Additionally, Chicago's defense limited opponents to a third-down conversion rate of 42.1%, which ranked second in the NFL behind the Buffalo Bills (40.7%).

He entered the professional coaching ranks as outside linebackers coach for the Houston Texans in 2020.

Chris Rumph enters his first season with the Minnesota Vikings and third overall in the NFL as defensive line coach after spending the 2021 season as the defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears. Rumph brings two-plus decades of coaching experience, including 18 in the collegiate ranks and two in the NFL.

During his college coaching career, he worked with 25 NFL draft picks, including three first-round selections (DE Gaines Adams, DT Taven Bryan, DT Malcom Brown) and one Pro Bowler (S Quandre Diggs).

In the 2021 season, Rumph's second in the NFL, Chicago registered 49 sacks on the season, fourth-most in the league. Additionally, Chicago's defense limited opponents to a third-down conversion rate of 42.1%, which ranked second in the NFL behind the Buffalo Bills (40.7%).

He entered the professional coaching ranks as outside linebackers coach for the Houston Texans in 2020.

Prior to joining the 2020 Texans staff, Rumph spent two seasons as the co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach at the University of Tennessee. In 2018, his first season with the team, the Vols defense was one of the most improved in the FBS, jumping 74 spots in run defense with opponents rushing for nearly 100 fewer yards per game than in 2017. Under the guidance of Rumph, 2020 NFL Draft pick Darrell Taylor emerged as a standout player in 2018, leading the Vols in both sacks (8.0), tackles for loss (11.0), forced fumbles (3) and fumble recoveries (2) en route to Team MVP honors. Taylor earned Bednarik National Player of the Week, Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors after his four-sack performance in the win over No. 12 Kentucky. Taylor's four-sack effort was only the third in Tennessee history. Additionally, Taylor recorded 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles to go along with six tackles at Georgia. He was one of two Power-5 players with multiple three-sack games in 2018.

He served as the defensive line coach for the University of Florida in 2015 before being promoted to co-defensive coordinator prior to the 2017 season, and served as full-time defensive coordinator for the final four games of the season after Randy Shannon was promoted to interim head coach. Under Rumph's direction in 2016, Florida ranked fifth in the SEC in rushing defense (114.5 ypg) and finished fourth in the conference in sacks with 31. The 2015 Gators team was one of the nation's best at getting to the quarterback, registering 40 sacks, which ranked fifth nationally and tied for the sixth highest in school history. During his tenure in Gainsville, Rumph produced a host of talent along the defensive line, including five NFL draft picks - Taven Bryan (2018), Caleb Brantley (2017), Joey Ivie (2017), Alex McCalister (2016) and Jonathan Bullard (2016).

Before heading to Florida, Rumph spent one season at Texas as the program's assistant head coach for defense/defensive line. Under Rumph's mentorship, the Longhorns had one of the nation's top defensive lines and ranked 12th in the country with 40 sacks. Texas finished the season ranked 26th in the FBS in total defense (348.5 ypg). The Longhorns 2014 defense was led by DT Malcom Brown, who was a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Nagurski and Outland Trophies. Brown was selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Fellow DT Hassan Ridgeway also had a big season for the Longhorns, ranking second on the team with 6.0 sacks – which also ranked second among defensive tackles in the Big 12 – and 11 tackles for loss. Ridgeway was a fourth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Rumph spent three seasons as defensive line coach for Nick Saban at Alabama from 2011-13 and was part of the Crimson Tide's back-to-back BCS national championship teams in 2011 and 2012. During his time in Tuscaloosa, Rumph also coached Vikings defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson in 2013, prior to him being selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Alabama ranked fifth nationally in total defense (286.5 yards per game) in 2013 and seventh in rush defense (106.2 yards per game). Defensive end Ed Stinson earned All-SEC Second-Team accolades for the Tide.

The Crimson Tide featured the country's top-ranked scoring, total and rushing defense in 2012, allowing just 10.9 points per game, 250.0 yards per game and 76.4 yards rushing per game. Alabama's stifling defense saved its best performance for last as the Tide shut out top-ranked LSU in the national title game by a score of 21-0. Alabama surrendered just five first downs and allowed LSU to cross the 50-yard line just once the entire game. Alabama's 2011 defense was one of the most dominant in the history of college football.

The Crimson Tide allowed just 8.2 points per game and gave up 183.6 total yards per contest, the fewest by an FBS team in records dating to 1996. Alabama also led the country in passing defense (111.5 ypg) and rushing defense (72.2 ypg).

The 2011 team featured five players along the defensive line that would end up being drafted by NFL teams: NT Josh Chapman, DE Quinton Dial, DT Jesse Williams, DE Jeoffrey Pagan and DE Ed Stinson. Chapman earned All-SEC Second-Team honors that season. In total, Rumph coached six NFL Draft picks on the defensive line during his three-year stint with the Crimson Tide.

Rumph was hired as Clemson's defensive line coach in 2006, serving in the role until 2009 when he focused solely on the Tigers' defensive ends. The Tigers ranked among the top 25 nationally in scoring defense and total defense during each of Rumph's five seasons at Clemson. In 2010, Rumph coached unanimous All-American defensive end Da'Quan Bowers, who led the nation in sacks (15.5) and was tied for first in tackles-for-loss (26.0). He won both the Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defensive player, and the Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end, and was a second-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay.

In Rumph's first year with the Tigers, he worked with defensive end Gaines Adams, who was the fourth overall selection in the 2007 draft by Tampa Bay after receiving unanimous All-America honors as a senior. Adams tallied 12.5 sacks to rank fourth in the nation. In his five-year career at Clemson, Rumph coached nine NFL draft picks and four All-ACC selections.

Rumph served as the outside linebackers coach at Memphis from 2003-05, helping lead the Tigers to three consecutive bowl games, including a pair of bowl victories in 2003 and 2005. Memphis won 24 games during his three seasons on staff.

The Memphis defense ranked 23rd in the nation in turnover margin in 2005 when the Tigers posted a 7-5 record. The defensive unit allowed just 125.6 yards per game on the ground, first in Conference USA and 27th in the nation. Two of Rumph's players, Tim Goodwell and Carlton Baker, were the top two tacklers on the defense. Goodwell led the team in tackles with 102 and Baker had 88, including a team best five sacks.

In 2004, Goodwell and fellow linebackers Carlton Baker and Quinton McCrary were three of the top four tacklers on the team, accounting for 284 of the team's total tackles. Rumph's linebackers also logged 10 of the team's 23 sacks in 2004 as Memphis started the year 5-1 and was ranked in the top 25 of The Associated Press poll, the first top-25 ranking in the history of the program.

During Rumph's first year at Memphis in 2003, the Tigers finished the year ranked ninth in the nation in total defense, while linebacker Coot Terry was named to the All-Conference USA team.

Rumph served as South Carolina State's defensive backs coach in 2002 after a five-year stint as head coach at Calhoun County High School in his hometown of St. Matthews, South Carolina, from 1997-2001. Rumph also worked as a graduate assistant coach at the University of South Carolina in the spring of 1997 prior to being named the head coach at Calhoun County High.

Rumph was a four-year letterwinner at the University of South Carolina, where he starred as a linebacker for the Gamecocks under head coaches Sparky Woods and Brad Scott, totaling 141 career tackles. Rumph helped lead USC to its first bowl victory in the 1995 Carquest Bowl. He earned his bachelor's degree from South Carolina in 1994. He and his wife Kila are the proud parents of two sons, Christopher and Elijah. Christopher was drafted in the fourth round (118th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers and played in all 16 games this past year.