Former Tennessee Football HC Jeremy Pruitt lands new job
Former Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt won't be coaching in the college ranks anytime soon thanks to the six-year show cause ban and one-year suspension he received earlier this month as a result of the NCAA investigation into the recruiting violations that occurred under his watch at UT. The former Tennessee head coach was […]
Former Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt won't be coaching in the college ranks anytime soon thanks to the six-year show cause ban and one-year suspension he received earlier this month as a result of the NCAA investigation into the recruiting violations that occurred under his watch at UT.
The former Tennessee head coach was reportedly a candidate to become Alabama's new defensive coordinator this offseason, but the NCAA investigation made it impossible for Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban to hire Pruitt.
On Thursday, news broke that Pruitt is returning to Plainview High School in Alabama where he'll work as a PE teacher (according to WVTL's Paige Dauer).
Pruitt played high school football at Plainview and he later served as the school's defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator.
Pruitt, who was fired by Tennessee because of those violations, hasn't coached since the 2021 season which he spent as an assistant with the New York Giants.
It's a brutal fall from grace for one of the brightest defensive minds in football. Pruitt struggled as a head coach, but his X's and O's knowledge on the defensive side of the ball is second to none.
Unfortunately for Pruitt, and for the college game as a whole, it could be a while before we see the former Vols head coach return to the collegiate ranks. The one-year suspension that Pruitt will be forced to serve upon his return to the college game will make it incredibly difficult for any program to hire him.
Pruitt's recruiting violations at Tennessee reportedly included around $60,000 in impermissible benefits which were used on things such as rent, medical bills, and unofficial visits (which aren't supposed to be paid for by programs). Compared to the money being thrown around in the NIL era, it's a small amount of cash that doesn't necessarily deserve a six-year show cause ban.
Why Vols fans should have a lot of respect for Jeremy Pruitt after NCAA penalties were announced
Tennessee Vols fans should have a lot of respect for Jeremy Pruitt after NCAA penalties were announced
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
