Donnel Pumphrey

Last updated

Donnel Pumphrey
MountainWestMD-2016-0727-DonnelPumphrey.png
Pumphrey at 2016 Mountain West Media Days
Sacramento State Hornets
Position: Running backs coach
Personal information
Born: (1994-12-06) December 6, 1994 (age 29)
North Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:176 lb (80 kg)
Career information
High school: Canyon Springs
(North Las Vegas, Nevada)
College: San Diego State (2013–2016)
NFL draft: 2017  / Round: 4 / Pick: 132
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Player stats at PFR

Donnel Laray Pumphrey Jr. (born December 6, 1994) is an American college football coach and former running back. He is the running backs coach for California State University, Sacramento, a position has held since 2023. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs. Pumphrey is the official all-time leader in rushing yards in NCAA Division I FBS history. [lower-alpha 1] He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft, and spent offseasons with the Eagles and Detroit Lions. He played for the DC Defenders of the XFL in 2020.

Contents

Early life

Pumphrey attended Canyon Springs High School in North Las Vegas, Nevada. [2] As a senior, he was the Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year for Nevada after rushing for 1,491 yards on 160 carries with 19 touchdowns. [3] During his career, he ran for 4,152 yards on 494 attempts with 49 touchdowns. Pumphrey was rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. [4] He committed to San Diego State University to play college football. [5]

College career

As a true freshman in 2013, Pumphrey played in all 13 games, making one start. He finished second on the team behind Adam Muema with 752 rushing yards on 125 carries with eight touchdowns. [6] [7] After Muema entered the 2014 NFL draft, Pumphrey became the starter his sophomore year in 2014. [8] He played in all 13 games and rushed for 1,876 on 276 carries with 20 touchdowns. The rushing yards broke the school record held by George Jones since 1995 and was the third best total in the nation behind Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin and Tevin Coleman of Indiana. [9] [10] [11] Pumphrey rushed for 2,018 yards in 2016 season. [12] [10] In the 2016 Las Vegas Bowl, he passed Ron Dayne of Wisconsin for the all-time Football Bowl Subdivision lead in career rushing yards. [13] [14] [15] The claim was met with mixed reactions, as sportswriters questioned the validity of the record due to the NCAA's omission of bowl statistics accumulated by players prior to 2002. [16] [17] [18]

College statistics

SeasonTeamGamesRushingReceiving
GPGSAttYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsTD
2013 San Diego State 1311257526.0728222342
2014 San Diego State 13132761,8676.89320231600
2015 San Diego State 14143091,6535.37217274143
2016 San Diego State 14143302,1336.17916272310
Career [19] 54411,0596,4056.09362991,0395

Professional career

Pre-draft

On November 14, 2016, it was announced that Pumphrey had accepted an invitation to appear in the 2017 Senior Bowl. [20] On January 28, 2017, Pumphrey played in the Senior Bowl and had four carries for 23 rushing yards, two receptions for 15 receiving yards, and returned four punts for a total of 44 yards to help Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson's South team defeat the North 16–15. His 82 all-purpose yards finished second among the South team. [21] He was one of 33 collegiate running backs to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Pumphrey completed the majority of combine drills, but opted to skip the short shuttle and three-cone drill. Although he ran the fourth fastest 40-yard dash, his 4.48 was seen as a disappointment among scouts. He also weighed in as the lightest among his position group and the fifth shortest. [22] On March 23, 2017, he attended San Diego State's pro day, along with Damontae Kazee, Nico Siragusa, Calvin Munson, and 10 other teammates. He opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills and the bench press for scouts and team representatives from 29 NFL teams that attended. Pumphrey impressed scouts with his receiving out of the backfield and ability to run during running back drills. [23] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Pumphrey was projected to be a fourth or fifth round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 14th best running back prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com. [24]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
5 ft 8+1⁄4 in
(1.73 m)		176 lb
(80 kg)		29 in
(0.74 m)		8+1⁄2 in
(0.22 m)		4.48 s1.54 s2.61 s33+1⁄2 in
(0.85 m)		9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		5 reps21
All values from NFL Combine [25]

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Pumphrey in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. [26] He was the 12th running back selected and one of three San Diego State players chosen in the draft in 2017, along with Siragusa and Kazee. [27] [28] [29] [30] On May 11, 2017, the Eagles signed Pumphrey to a four-year, $2.97 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $575,888. [31]

Throughout training camp, he competed against Darren Sproles, Byron Marshall, Wendell Smallwood, and Corey Clement for a role as backup running back. [32] Head coach Doug Pederson named Pumphrey the fourth running back on the Eagles' depth chart to begin the regular season, behind LeGarrette Blount, Sproles, and Clement. [33] On September 15, 2017, he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn hamstring in practice. Pumphrey missed his entire rookie season and did not log a snap or carry in 2017. [34] The Eagles won Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots 41–33, earning Pumphrey his first Super Bowl ring. [35]

On September 1, 2018, Pumphrey was waived by the Eagles. [36]

Detroit Lions

On September 5, 2018, Pumphrey was signed to the practice squad of the Detroit Lions. [37] He was released on September 26, 2018. [38]

Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)

On October 23, 2018, Pumphrey was signed to the Eagles practice squad. [39] Pumphrey signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on January 14, 2019. [40] He was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019. [41]

DC Defenders

Pumphrey was drafted by the DC Defenders of the XFL in the 7th round in the 2020 XFL Draft. [42] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020. [43]

Coaching career

In 2022, Pumphrey joined San Diego State as a graduate assistant. [44]

On February 9, 2023, Pumphrey was hired by Sacramento State University to serve as the team's running backs coach. [45]

Notes

  1. ↑ Statistics accumulated in bowl games prior to 2002 are not accounted for by the NCAA. If bowl statistics are taken into account for all players, Pumphrey's rushing yards would rank fourth in NCAA Division I FBS history, behind Ron Dayne, Ricky Williams, and Tony Dorsett. [1]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Career Leaders and Records for Rushing Yards". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  2. ↑ REVIEW-JOURNAL, TRISTAN AIRD LAS VEGAS (July 11, 2012). "NOTES: Recruiters take notice of Pioneers' Pumphrey".
  3. ↑ REVIEW-JOURNAL, LAS VEGAS (December 5, 2012). "Pioneers RB earns Gatorade award".
  4. ↑ "Rivals.com".
  5. ↑ "Canyon Springs' Pumphrey verbally commits with San Diego State football". August 8, 2012.
  6. ↑ Union-Tribune, San Diego. "Who will replace Muema as Aztecs' RB?".
  7. ↑ "Boise State football faces another big rushing test".
  8. ↑ "San Diego State Football: Should Donnel Pumphrey have been an All-American over Jay Ajayi?".
  9. ↑ Union-Tribune, San Diego. "DJ Pumphrey rushing to SDSU record".
  10. 1 2 "SDSU Supersoph Gains Rushing Record, But Rues Bowl Loss – Times of San Diego". December 24, 2014.
  11. ↑ Gazette, Capital. "Poinsettia Bowl Notebook: Aztecs take run at Midshipmen". Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Donnel Pumphrey". Archived from the original on October 19, 2016.
  13. ↑ Greenspan, Dan (December 17, 2016). "San Diego State's Pumphrey Sets NCAA Career Rushing Record". ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  14. ↑ Myerberg, Paul (December 18, 2016). "San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey becomes leading rusher in FBS history". USA Today. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  15. ↑ Goodbread, Chase (December 17, 2016). "Donnel Pumphrey breaks Ron Dayne's FBS rushing record". NFL.com. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  16. ↑ Kurtenbach, Dieter (December 17, 2016). "Sorry, but Donnel Pumphrey didn't really break Ron Dayne's FBS rushing record". Fox News. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  17. ↑ Kirshner, Alex (December 18, 2016). "Blame the NCAA for Donnel Pumphrey breaking Ron Dayne's record with fewer yards". SB Nation. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  18. ↑ Paine, Neil (December 19, 2016). "Why College Football's New All-Time Rushing Leader Isn't Really Its All-Time Rushing Leader". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Donnel Pumphrey College Stats - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Prospects who have accepted invites to 2017 Senior Bowl". NFL.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  21. ↑ Ted McGovern (January 30, 2017). "Donnel Pumphrey helps South team win Senior Bowl". MWCconnection.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  22. ↑ Christian D'Andrea (March 5, 2017). "NFL Combine drills 2017: Full running backs results". SBnation.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  23. ↑ Gil Brandt (March 23, 2017). "Pro day results: Stanford, Ohio St., Utah, Missouri, SDSU". NFL.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Donnelly Pumphrey, DS #14 RB, San Diego State". nfldraftscout.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  25. ↑ "NFL Draft Profile: Donnel Pumphrey". NFL.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  26. ↑ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Eagles trade up in 4th round to draft San Diego State RB Donnel Pumphrey". Philly. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  28. ↑ Smith, Alex (April 29, 2017). "RB Pumphrey Selected In Round Four". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  29. ↑ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Draft Finder Query Results". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Spotrac.com: Donnel Pumphrey contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Ourlads.com: Philadelphia Eagles' depth chart: 07/01/2017". Ourlads.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  33. ↑ Brandon Lee Gowton (September 3, 2017). "Philadelphia Eagles depth chart 2017: 53-man roster edition". bleedinggreennation.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  34. ↑ Gowton, Brandon Lee (September 15, 2017). "Donnel Pumphrey: Eagles place rookie running back on injured reserve". BleedingGreenNation.com.
  35. ↑ "Eagles dethrone Tom Brady, Patriots for first Super Bowl title in stunner". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  36. ↑ McPherson, Chris (September 1, 2018). "Eagles Get To The 53-Player Limit". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  37. ↑ "Lions sign three players to practice squad". DetroitLions.com. September 5, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Lions release Donnel Pumphrey, sign Jerome Cunningham". 247sports.com. September 26, 2018.
  39. ↑ Foley, Graham (October 23, 2018). "Eagles Sign RB Donnel Pumphrey To Practice Squad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  40. ↑ "Eagles sign 10 players to reserve/future contracts". 247Sports.com. January 14, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Eagles announce first wave of roster moves as team works toward 53-player limit". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  42. ↑ Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News . Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  43. ↑ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  44. ↑ GoAztecs (August 4, 2022). "SDSU Football Adds Donnel Pumphrey to Coaching Staff". www.sdsu.edu. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  45. ↑ "Slowey, Pumphrey Added To Football Coaching Staff". hornetsports.com. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
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