'Be where your feet are': How DeAgo Brumfield went from NAIA to Memphis football starter

DeAgo Brumfield sat alone in a freshman dorm room and heard the same phrase repeating in his head.

"Be where your feet are."

His feet were in Campbellsville, Kentucky, a heart-shaped town of 10,000 a few hours' drive from his hometown of Cincinnati. He was a freshman defensive back at Campbellsville University, a program in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) — as in, not even in the NCAA. He'd watched four high school teammates — four defensive backs, at that — graduate and head to Power Five programs.

And now he was at Campbellsville, and his roommate had just decided to leave school. He had plenty of time to think, sitting in that dorm room with solitude he'd never really experienced before.

"It just made me think, like, how I can't ever give up," he said. "Because I know people put the time and investment in me. And there's people out there who really believe in me. It just allowed me to think. It allowed me to be stronger. That alone time, it allows for you to grow."

That growth led to an offer from Memphis less than two years later. And now, a few weeks into the season, Brumfield has emerged as a key starter on defense, a stunning rise for a player who couldn't get a DI offer out of high school. That journey continues Saturday (6:30 p.m, ESPNU) against Missouri in St. Louis.

From Campbellsville to Memphis

Brumfield didn't have a great high school career. He had only two college offers: Campbellsville and Thomas More, another school in Kentucky. He chose Campbellsville because of his relationship with Derek Burnett, then the defensive coordinator for Campbellsville.

Burnett had known Brumfield for years. He'd been around the football scene in Cincinnati and had worked with Brumfield in high school, first just as a friend and because he had a relationship with Brumfield's dad. But then he started recruiting him to Campbellsville.

So when Brumfield got to campus, Burnett sat him down and leveled with him.

"You're not going to get where you're supposed to be if you're not where your feet are," he told him. "Because that's what's gonna keep you moving. You got to keep your feet moving. Like, yeah, you want to go over the hill, but you can't get over the hill around the side. Your feet got to get over that hill."

"And he kind of just took it and ran with it," Burnett said.

Brumfield had an unremarkable freshman year, playing in seven games. Burnett knew he had a talented player on his hands, but he needed to make sure he challenged him and helped him grow. Brumfield bought in, developing a frenetic work ethic and spending hours working on his game.

Sometimes Burnett would get a text from Brumfield late at night asking if he could open the indoor facility so they could train. Then they'd wake back up for practice the next morning. Brumfield was doing his best to maximize his situation. And, he adds, it was Campbellsville — it's not like there was a lot else going on.

"When I was in Campbellsville, I wasn't really thinking too much about going to the next place," he said. "I was trying to just be where my feet are. I try to be where my feet are anywhere I'm at. To make the most out of any situation, you've got to be there first."

Burnett would repeat the same few things to Brumfield: Be where your feet are. One play at a time. Get down or lay down. Who you gon' run to? And one of his favorites: Win or win. There's no other option.

Brumfield broke out in his second season to the tune of four interceptions, two pick-sixes and an All-Mid-South Conference second-team selection. Burnett had been telling Brumfield he could go to the NFL from Campbellsville if he kept improving, maybe ran a good 40-yard dash time at his pro day. But the transfer portal beckoned, and Memphis was impressed by Brumfield.

Suddenly his feet were in the Bluff City, and he quickly noticed the difference between NAIA and NCAA — more facilities, nutrition programs, team gear.

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'I'm trying to appreciate everything'

It felt like a surprise that he immediately earned a starting job, especially when you look at the caliber of other cornerbacks on the roster. One of those high school teammates who earned a Power Five offer, Jaylen Johnson, committed to the Tigers as a transfer around the same time as Brumfield.

But it's Campbellsville's Brumfield and not Ohio State's Johnson who has seen consistent playing time for the Tigers.

Brumfield's feet were in Jonesboro, Arkansas, for his breakout game against Arkansas State. Maybe because they looked at the Memphis roster and saw he'd come from an NAIA school, the Red Wolves seemed intent on throwing deep balls against him. He had five pass breakups, never getting beat deep and ending as Memphis' highest-graded defensive player by Pro Football Focus.

"If you had access to our practice film, you wouldn't be surprised at all," defensive coordinator Matt Barnes said. "He's been that way since the day he got here."

Burnett left Campbellsville for a coaching position at Thomas More after last season. He's still close with Brumfield, texting him before every game and breaking down film with him before the season started.

Tigers coaches have raved about Brumfield's maturity and how quick he picks things up. Oh, and his footwork — literally, where his feet are.

"I'm just loving it all," he said. "I'm trying to appreciate everything."

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football: DeAgo Brumfield goes from NAIA to Tigers starter