Tennessee Vols: Jeremy Pruitt Gives Perfect Response To Coaching In Playoff

Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt served as Alabama’s defensive coordinator during the College Football Playoff.

For whatever reason, there were a significant number of fans who were upset that Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt coached Alabama in the College Football Playoff.

One of the main things I saw folks saying about the situation was that Pruitt was “helping Tennessee’s rival”, when he had already been hired as the Vols’ new head coach.

I guess that’s an easy thing to say when you’re sitting on your couch. But when you’re physically invested in the program, and invested in the lives of these kids, it’s a different story.

Pruitt said during his introductory press conference that the main reason he was coaching in the playoff was for the players at Alabama. He felt like he made a promise to those players and he wasn’t going to leave them in the biggest moment of their lives. I applaud his decision and I think it was the right thing to do.

But there were still some folks that felt he wasn’t “all in” at Tennessee.

I think Pruitt’s comments during his press conference on Wednesday were enough to shut down those ill advised opinions once and for all.

"“I had to tell my wife, ‘let’s go, let’s get to the room because we gotta get packed up, we gotta ready ready to go in the morning’.I’ve been ready to get here. The whole reason I stayed and coached in that game was I felt like I needed to do it for those kids, to help them get what they want. Most of the time my mind was thinking in Knoxville, I can tell you that.”"

That’s a pretty telling statement from Pruitt. First of all, it reiterates his commitment to his players. There are a lot of coaches that bolt once they get a new job. They just leave. That wasn’t the case for Pruitt, which tells us a lot about his character (which is something we also saw by how he went and talked to Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm immediately after Alabama won on Monday night).

But that statement also shows us how committed he is to Tennessee.

He was about to coach in one of the biggest games of his coaching career, and his thoughts were still revolving around Tennessee.

Considering it was a recruiting dead period, Pruitt could’ve easily put Tennessee on the back burner and forgot about Knoxville until after Monday night. But he didn’t. He was constantly thinking about what he needed to do at UT.

The job that Pruitt did with Alabama’s defense during the playoff was simply incredible. Especially when you factor in that he was balancing two jobs.

I’ll be the first to admit that Pruitt wasn’t really on my radar during the early part of the Vols’ coaching search (I think we had him on maybe one or two lists throughout the whole process, until after Currie was fired).

But somehow I think the Volunteers made the best hire they could’ve possibly made.

Next: Can The Vols Land Quay Walker?

I don’t know how the Pruitt era is going to turn out at Tennessee, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a fun ride.