Chris Rumph II grew up in Gainsville, Florida and played his prep football at Bucholz High School under head coach Mark Whittemore. As a senior, Rumph accumulated 105 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, one interception, and two fumble recoveries en route to earning First-Team All-State honors. He was also named the Large School Player of the Year by The Gainsville Sun and ended his career as a consensus three-star prospect by both ESPN and Rivals.com.
Rumph headed north to attend Duke University and redshirted during his first year on campus. As a redshirt freshman in 2018, Rumph was named a USA Today Freshman All-American after notching 25 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and three sacks in 13 games played with one start.