When college programs are trying to land elite recruits, they'll say almost anything to get a signature on National Signing Day.

But not Jeremy Pruitt and the Tennessee Vols.

It doesn't matter if it's an elite recruit or an under-the-radar three-star player — the message is the same.

Work hard and you'll have success at Tennessee.

There are no promises of starting jobs or playing time. Just because a player is rated highly doesn't mean Pruitt and his staff are going to show them any favor.

2021 five-star offensive tackle Amarius Mims (the top player in the state of Georgia) recently visited UT and he made it a point to tell Rivals that early playing time wasn't promised to him.

Mims said "They (UT's staff) tell you the 100% truth. Stuff like we don’t guarantee anyone will start, but with hard work you will play."

Previous Vols head coach Butch Jones had some early recruiting success at Tennessee because he was deceptive during the recruiting process. He made a lot of of promises that weren't kept.

Pruitt's recruiting success, however, is sustainable. That's why it's been kind of a slow build up to landing top 10 classes. Pruitt wasn't willing to make promises he couldn't keep to sway on-the-fence recruits.

I'm sure some fans were frustrated with the final rankings of the 2018 and 2019 recruiting classes (ranked No. 21 and No. 13, respectively).

Pruitt probably could've made a few empty promises to help land a couple of recruits. But it would've hurt the program in the long run.

Now, when recruits visit Tennessee and talk to players, they'll be hearing stories of a coaching staff that delivers on what they say during the recruiting process.

Pruitt's methods might not be the quickest way to land to elite recruits, but it's certainly the most effective way in the longterm.

Featured image via Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports/247Sports