Jeremy Pruitt caught some unnecessary shade during the College Football Playoff semifinals
Former Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt caught some unnecessary shade on Monday night during the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between Texas and Washington. Washington beat Texas to advance to the championship game thanks largely to the performance of quarterback Michael Penix Jr, who passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns in the Huskies' […]
Former Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt caught some unnecessary shade on Monday night during the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between Texas and Washington.
Washington beat Texas to advance to the championship game thanks largely to the performance of quarterback Michael Penix Jr, who passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns in the Huskies' 37-31 win.
It was noted several times throughout the night that Penix was committed to Tennessee in 2017. And it was Pruitt who was blamed for turning Penix away.
It's true that Penix was committed to the Vols until Pruitt was hired to replace Butch Jones. But it's not entirely accurate that Pruitt "didn't want" Penix.
After Pruitt was introduced as Tennessee's new head coach, he actually called Penix to tell him that UT would be honoring his scholarship.
(Side note: Pruitt actually played against Penix's father in college.)
Less than a week later, new Vols offensive coordinator Tyson Helton called Penix to tell him not to come to Tennessee for his official visit. Helton explained that Tennessee was signing another quarterback (JT Shrout) instead.
Penix then committed to Indiana.
It was Helton that didn't want Penix, not Pruitt. And since Helton was considered a big hire at the time by Pruitt, it made sense that the first-time head coach would let his new offensive coordinator sign the quarterback of his choosing. Pruitt, as the head coach, could've overruled Helton. But that would've been seen as "meddling" by fans and media (and the rest of UT's new coaching staff).
Ultimately, no one knew that Penix would become the star that he's become. And it's not like his journey to stardom was smooth. Penix was mostly an afterthought during his four seasons at Indiana, never passing for more than 1,645 yards in a season. It wasn't until he landed with Washington in 2022 that he became a star quarterback.
