Jeremy Pruitt made a big time hire last month by bringing in Jay Graham to replace David Johnson as the Tennessee Vols' running backs coach.

This is Graham's second stint on Tennessee's coaching staff, previously serving as the running backs coach under Derek Dooley in 2012.

Graham, who is renowned for his recruiting skills, was initially retained by Butch Jones in early 2013. But Graham quickly decided that staying on Jones' staff wasn't the best move for his career, so he joined Jimbo Fisher at Florida State (where Pruitt was also on staff in 2013).

The decision by Graham to return to Tennessee is quite telling, considering he left Rocky Top on his own accord because he didn't feel he was a good fit.

It's obvious that Graham feels like the program is heading in the right direction under Pruitt.

But what's different about Tennessee in 2020 from Graham's first stint with the program in 2012?

Graham recently appeared on The Nation and was asked that exact question by VolQuest's Austin Price.

The former UT running back told Price, "The mentality of the players. And just watching on tape, the effort they were playing with. You could see that on tape."

Graham added "everyone is clearly on the same page here".

If anyone knows what a dysfunctional staff at Tennessee looks like, it's Graham. He worked under a head coach who was fired in 2012, and another head coach, albeit briefly, who proved to be incompetent.

And then he worked for Fisher and won a national championship.

Graham knows how success is bred. And he feels like it's possible at Tennessee.

That should be reassuring for fans.

There are plenty of positive signs pointing toward a resurgence for the Vols under Pruitt. The program still has a ways to go, but it's finally looking up in Knoxville.

Featured image via 247Sports/Getty