After a 1-4 start in 2019, it was understandable why some folks were unsure if Jeremy Pruitt was the right coach to lead Tennessee football back to the promised land.

If I learned anything from the Butch Jones era, it was to not ignore the red flags.

And losing to Georgia State was certainly a red flag.

But Pruitt was able to keep his team focused, and he eventually led the Vols to an unlikely six game winning streak to close the season. The impressive turnaround by Tennessee left little doubt that Pruitt is the right coach for the Vols moving forward.

Linebacker Daniel Bituli, who is hoping to land with an NFL team in 2020, wasn't recruited to Tennessee by Pruitt. He signed with the Vols in 2016 — which is right when it appeared that UT had turned the corner under Jones.

The group of players that played multiple seasons under Jones and Pruitt have experienced the program appearing to be "on the rise" under both coaches.

Bituli, who played in nine games as a true freshman, understands how it felt when Tennessee started the season 5-0 in 2016. He was there for the euphoria of back-to-back wins against Florida and Georgia.

After Jauan Jennings' hail mary reception to beat the Bulldogs in Athens in 2016, it felt like Tennessee had finally put all the bad vibes behind them. The turnaround felt real.

It turned out to be a castle in the sky.

Jones' dreams of turning Tennessee into a contender came crashing down in late 2016. He was fired in 2017.

Bituli understands what false hope feels like.

That's why his recent comments about Pruitt carry a lot of weight.

Bituli, appearing on "The Sports Animal" last week, made it clear that he believes in Pruitt, saying "Coach Pruitt is doing a great job with that program".

The Nashville native added "He’s the right coach for the job. I’m super ecstatic for the future of Tennessee."

We've heard players make similar comments about Jones in the past. But those players didn't go through what Bituli and some of his veteran teammates experienced.

Bituli understands what Jones built was fool's gold. He knows the red flags to look for within the program (the things that fans and media don't see).

When Bituli feels positive about the future of Tennessee under Pruitt, it feels different than when former Vols felt positive about Jones.

Bituli has lived both sides of the coin.

That's why his words feel different than most who speak about the future of the Vols.

Featured image via Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports