Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt likely won't be named the SEC coach of the year this season.

That honor will almost certainly go to LSU head coach Ed Orgeron.

And while it's hard to argue against Orgeron winning the award, I think there's a case for Pruitt's name to be in the mix.

Tennessee started the 2019 season about as badly as any program in the nation. They lost to a less talented Georgia State team in the season opener (a game where UT was a 24.5 point favorite). Then the Vols lost to BYU because of a massive defensive breakdown in the final moments of regulation, which allowed the Cougars to tie the game (and eventually win in overtime).

At that point, and with a tough schedule on the horizon, there were plenty of folks that were down on Pruitt.

Rightfully so.

After finishing 5-7 in 2018 and starting 0-2 in 2019, it's not like Pruitt had built much equity as a head coach. There really wasn't a reason for fans to trust him.

Over the last couple of months, however, Pruitt has managed to completely flip the narrative. He's went from a coach who might be in over his head, to a coach who clearly has the Vols on the right trajectory.

And the way he's done it has been incredibly impressive.

Pruitt has dealt with a lot of adversity this season. Starting 0-2, dealing with way-too-early hot seat questions, having to address multiple legal problems involving players (which meant eventually removing Jeremy Banks from the team) are all issues that would be difficult for any head coach. Then there's the issue of Tennessee's top two quarterbacks — Jarrett Guarantano and Brian Maurer — dealing with serious injuries this fall. Maurer suffered multiple head injuries and Guarantano broke his non-throwing hand (which required screws being inserted into his hand).

Oh and did I mention that multiple Tennessee players left the team early in the season?

Those departures, combined with the multiple injuries that UT's had to deal with this season, crippled the Vols' depth.

As a result of the lack of depth, Tennessee has been forced to start eight true freshmen this season.

Read that again. Eight true freshmen.

That's not a recipe for success. Sure, there are occasional true freshmen who are ready to make an impact as soon as they step onto a college a campus. But that's not typically how it works out. For every true freshman that stands out, there are usually 15 others that barely see the field.

Yet despite all of this, the Vols have an outside shot of finishing the season with seven wins (maybe eight, if they get to a bowl game and win).

Back in early September, a lot of folks (including myself) were questioning if the Vols could even win four games in 2019.

It's a stunning turnaround for a program that's grown accustomed to disappointment.

In recent years, I've got to a point where I'm looking for signs that a coach at Tennessee is going to fail. Because it's just usually what happens.

Outside of a bad first two weeks, though, it's been hard to find any of those signs with Pruitt.

In fact, it's been quite the opposite.

Pruitt has a lot of growing to do as a head coach. But he's come a LONG way in his second season at the helm. I think he deserves some credit for the way he's completely changed the course of the 2019 season for the Volunteers.

When things go wrong, the head coach gets the blame. It only makes sense that Pruitt gets the praise for what Tennessee's accomplished after their horrid start.

Pruitt might not be the SEC coach of the year in 2019, but he should at least be in the conversation.

Featured image via Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports