BOWLING GREEN — A trip up Interstate 75 turned out to be exactly what Todd Bumphis wanted, and he found the perfect place for him to stop for his final season of college football.
The Toledo native and former first-team All-Ohioan at St. Francis de Sales recently transferred to Bowling Green State University after spending the past four seasons at Cincinnati.
Being closer to home was a big reason why the senior cornerback joined the Falcons.
“I am very excited to be here. A reason why I wanted to come here and it was a great plan for me is I’ve been away for four years at Cincinnati,” Bumphis said. “It’s not that far, but it was a good reason to come closer to my family.”
He also pointed to his friendships with Bowling Green players PaSean Wimberly and Trent Simms.
Bumphis appeared in 35 games, including a couple on college football’s biggest stages, and totaled 16 tackles (12 solo) with one tackle for loss and one pass defended at Cincinnati. The experience the 6-foot, 200-pound back gained, especially in 2021, can be critical in helping a BGSU squad that has high hopes of winning a Mid-American Conference championship this season.
Bumphis played in all 14 games for Cincinnati three years ago, a season that included a 35-20 win over Houston in the American Athletic Conference championship and a 27-6 loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals. He also had a career-high three tackles, including one for a loss, in a 24-13 win at No. 9 Notre Dame early in the season.
“Just knowing how to carry yourself, know how to game plan. Just knowing how to do everything in the best way possible as a pro to continue and bring that knowledge and experience over here to BG,” Bumphis said. “Just set a standard that they already have and bring a standard that is at a very, very high level.”
Sixth-year BGSU coach Scot Loeffler said he is expecting a smooth transition to BGSU for Bumphis after he played for former Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell and current cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs.
“I’ve known Luke and Kerry Coombs forever, so I know he’s well coached,” Loeffler said. “Kerry Coombs is a great secondary coach, and I know Luke Fickell is a great culture guy and demands a ton out of his players.
“So it’s a good fit. He’s walking into a program that’s similar. Luke and I both worked for Urban [Meyer] and there’s a lot of things that we do that Urban has done, so the transition, I think, from Cincinnati to our program has been pretty easy for him just because the similarities of how we do business.”
Bumphis is excited to join a BGSU defense that finished tied for first in the FBS in turnovers forced with 28, including 17 interceptions (tied for fourth), during the 2023 campaign.
“Back in 2020, 2021, we had a really great defense at Cincinnati, and they’ve got some of the same standards here at BG,” Bumphis said. “They just want to create turnovers and do the best that they can in creating havoc.”
With numerous starters, experience, and talent back from a BGSU squad that continued to make positive strides under Loeffler, including the program’s first winning season since 2015 a year ago when it went 7-6 (5-3 MAC), Bumphis said being a leader is the biggest quality he can bring to the team.
“I believe it’s the work ethic for me, but more importantly, just being a great teammate as well,” Bumphis said. “I believe I can come in and support my brothers just as they’re supporting me, and with that bond, we would be able to grow together and make something great really happen.”
Loeffler has been impressed so far.
“He’s a high-character guy,” Loeffler said. “He’s a guy that works his tail off. He’s been here two weeks in the program, and he’s meshed with the other players. You can tell that he’s a good teammate. But he can run, he’s got size, he’s got hips, and the big thing that I found is that he’s a really good dude and he’s fit into the locker room quite well.”
First Published June 10, 2024, 6:37 p.m.
