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Posted by eleem (Member # 884) on 10-27-2007, 05:36 AM:

As first reported earlier in the day by Kentucky Sports Report and now confirmed by Jeff Drummond, Kentucky has gotten a commitment from St. Matthews (SC) Calhoun County HS DE Donte Rumph a 3 star kid with offers from Clemson and Tennessee among others. Big, big pickup. In other news from Scout.com, Cincinnati (OH) Harmony Prep DT D.J. Stafford was upgraded to a 4-star.

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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 10-27-2007, 07:58 AM:

This is a huge pick-up and forget that 3 star rating he is much better than that..Remember the name Donte Rumph because he is going to be a star!!! Read this article from the local paper where he lives.

Calhoun County's Donte Rumph -- all 6-3, 260 pounds of him -- is a force at defensive end having already accumulated 60 tackles and 13 sacks this season. If that was where his reign of terror on Fridays ended it would be enough to keep opposing coaches awake at night.

But, Donte Rumph doesn't leave the field. Not much anyway. From a sack-master that brings the pain on a consistent basis on defense he transforms into an "IHOP" tackle on offense. IHOP tackle? Yes, IHOP as in International House of Pancakes. Still don't get it? Well, in football a "pancake" is when one player takes another and puts him on his butt, and Rumph's stack of pancakes is seriously getting high. Running behind him can be a recipe for success, but if for some reason the Saints high scoring offense -- led by Rumph, quarterback David Sims, wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey and tailback Jermaine Bull -- doesn't manage to rack up the first downs on a given series, the big fella's also known to boom a few balls deep as the Saints punter.

Convinced Rumph's pretty good now? Good. You can consider yourself to be in some pretty good company because there's a laundry list of colleges that have been thinking like you are now for some time.

"I get letters everyday," Rumph said. "I don't know how many. It's up there. I can't really estimate how many, but it's way up there."

Inevitably, talk about Rumph leads into talk of his bloodlines. Cousin Phillip Merling is the starting defensive end for the Clemson Tigers and uncle Chris Rumph is the Tigers' defensive line coach. So, it's only natural that Rumph likes Clemson.

And, he does like the Tigers. He's just not ready to commit to them. In fact, Rumph is a pretty independent young man who took a simple question from Saints head coach Walter Wilson -- do you want to be known for your name or your talent -- and ran with it. Don't think for a second that he doesn't like his family -- he counts them as mentors -- but a little less talk about the bloodline deal wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

"Right now, it is to the point where I get asked those questions about 30 times per week," he said. "It's just over and over."

So, the Tigers are on the list, and yes, it's because of the family, but Clemson isn't the only favorite. In fact, talk to Rumph a little and you get the distinct impression that the leader might just be (insert drum roll here) ... Kentucky. The Wildcats made Rumph's list Sept. 15, when he and teammates Eric Mack, Sims and Jeffrey made the trip to the Bluegrass State to watch Kentucky take down Louisville.

"Awww man, just seeing them boys fight ... it was a very good game," he said. "Louisville put up a fight, but Kentucky came out with the win. I just liked that attitude. They never quit."

Donte Rumph