Tennessee Vols: Jeremy Pruitt is more compassionate than you might realize
Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt has a reputation for being a tough, hard-nosed, no-nonsense kind of guy. It's a reputation he's earned. Pruitt rarely praises individual players and he often expresses frustration with how his team has practiced. It's a trait he likely learned from his mentor, Nick Saban. But Pruitt has a soft, […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt has a reputation for being a tough, hard-nosed, no-nonsense kind of guy.
It's a reputation he's earned.
Pruitt rarely praises individual players and he often expresses frustration with how his team has practiced. It's a trait he likely learned from his mentor, Nick Saban.
But Pruitt has a soft, compassionate, understanding side. It's a side he doesn't show often, but it's there. And it was on full display on Friday when he met with reporters.
Earlier this week, Vols offensive lineman Marcus Tatum made some candid comments about being tired of losing. Tatum said he felt like it was usually the offensive line's fault "most of the time" in Tennessee's losses.
When Pruitt was asked about Tatum's comments on Friday, he was quick to shift the blame away from Tatum and the rest of the offensive line.
Pruitt told reporters that it wasn't fair to the offensive line to blame them for Tennessee's losses, saying "there was very little depth at that position".
The second year Vols head coach added "There were guys that were asked to play when they weren’t physically able to play. It’s hard to have success if you’re not ready."
Not being ready was never an excuse that Pruitt was going to make for the offensive line last year. Excuses aren't really Pruitt's thing.
But Pruitt also isn't going to allow his players to take all the blame. And I think that's something UT's roster will appreciate hearing from Pruitt — especially in such a public way.
There's no doubt that Pruitt is demanding. He wants perfection from his team. But he also cares deeply about the players on his team. And he understands they're 18-22 year old kids working their tails off to return Tennessee's football program to national prominence.
Pruitt and his staff have created a true family atmosphere on Rocky Top, which is one of the main reasons I think the Vols are eventually going to turn this thing around.
Featured image via Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
