He had been away from the team on leave.
Chris Rumph, the defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings, took a leave of absence around six weeks ago. Now, in a somewhat unexpected turn of events, that absence will be irreversible.
Rumph’s hiring as the defensive ends coach of the Clemson Tigers was revealed on Monday. A team losing a head coach this way in the middle of the season is not something that happens very often, but that is what has happened to the Vikings.
Back on October 21, Rumph had asked to take a leave of absence, but the reasons for his request were never made public and, to be honest, are unrelated to us. Mike Smith, the coach of the outside linebackers, had been out of the team since before the regular season began, making him the second member of the coaching staff to take a leave of absence this season. After stepping in for Rumph while he was away, assistant defensive line coach Pat Hill will now take on full-time responsibilities.
Rumph was brought on by the Vikings in the 2022 offseason, joining Kevin O’Connell’s first staff. He has previously served as the outside linebackers coach for the Houston Texans and the defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears. He was the defensive ends coach at Clemson from 2006 to 2010, and he will now return to that position.
I hope Coach Rumph succeeds in his new position, regardless of the reasons for his leaving.
