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Bruce Feldman reports that the Tennessee Volunteers may very well have found their next head coach. They have reportedly offered the job to Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.
SOURCES: #Alabama DC Jeremy Pruitt is expected to become the next head coach at #Tennessee. A deal could be announced as early as tomorrow.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 7, 2017
#Tennessee & #Alabama DC Jeremy Pruitt are still trying to work out details of the deal but sources tell us he is the guy the #Vols have been locked in on.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 7, 2017
As Feldman notes, the deal is still being worked on. But, the expectation appears to be that he’s the guy that the Vols have finally settled in on.
Pruitt has worked around the college level since 2007. He was hired as an assistant for Nick Saban in his first year with the Tide, working as their secondary coach from 2010-2012. He was then tabbed as Jimbo Fisher’s defensive coordinator with the Florida State Seminoles in 2013. That year, of course, the ‘Noles won it all in the final BCS National Championship against the Auburn Tigers.
From 2014-2015, Pruitt made his way back in the SEC, working as the DC for the Georgia Bulldogs. After two years in Athens, Pruitt made his way back to Tuscaloosa, serving as Alabama’s defensive coordinator after Kirby Smart’s departure to UGA. He’s worked as their DC the last two seasons, but that obviously appears to now be over.
There’s no telling if (knock on wood) this deal is going to follow through. However, this is certainly a better hire than their first try, or even other names that have come up. He’s never been a head coach before, and we’ve seen, Smart aside, how Saban disciples have fared (not well). With that said, this will probably serve Tennessee well.