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Tennessee football: Jeremy Pruitt’s recruiting method clearly different from Butch Jones

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt has reshaped the Vols’ recruiting class. His method is opposite to former Volunteers leader Butch Jones.

Related Story: 4 things Jeremy Pruitt must do to fix Vols

It’s not just that he has a completely different style, although that matters here. Jeremy Pruitt is going about recruiting for Tennessee football in the exact opposite way Butch Jones did.

Now, yes, the style is part of it. Jones ran a simplified spread offense and a standard 4-3 defense. Despite what he said, we know Pruitt wants to run a base 3-4 or multiple defense and a pro-style offense.

That combination is naturally going to cause an overhaul when it comes to Vols recruiting, which is why their ranking fell out of the Top 60. However, that should all straighten itself out.

The biggest thing different about Pruitt is that he actually targets guys who fit his style rather than just any top recruit. And it’s a huge plus for Tennessee football.

Despite running a spread that depends on mobility, Jones would recruit any top quarterback. That bit him this year with the departure of Joshua Dobbs. Jarrett Guarantano and Quinten Dormady were both pocket passers not fit for the system.

He did the same at running back. Jones won fans over by securing a commitment from Jalen Hurd in 2014. The problem? Hurd was a big back, similar to Eddie George.

And Jones tried to fit him in his spread system when he belonged in a more power offense.

This was a problem with Butch Jones’s recruiting from the start. Pruitt, meanwhile, is doing exactly what we said he should do if you read our related post at the top. He’s targeting specific talent.

How do we know that? Well, there’s unfortunately a bit of shady evidence that he’s backing out of scholarship offers Butch Jones gave to players.

That’s why Michael Penix decommitted according to this post by Mike Griffith of SEC Country. Penix was a four-star mobile quarterback but clearly was not a fit for Tyson Helton’s system.

Now, Adrian Martinez was a different story, but he probably knew about what happened with Penix and realized based on evidence he’d be a much better fit at a place like Nebraska in Scott Frost’s system.

We then see the specific players elsewhere that Pruitt is targeting, including top junior college tight ends and linemen and a pro-style quarterback in J.T. Shrout, and it’s clear that he’s recruiting to fit an identity.

And on top of everything, Pruitt’s first real commitment (outside of Alontae Taylor’s recommitment) is three-star defensive tackle Kingston Harris. So he went physical for his first pickup, trying to fit his team’s ID. That’s not a coincidence.

To be just a little bit fair to Jones in this, Pruitt has a lot more recruiting cache in SEC country. So it probably allows him to be a bit more selective. Jones arrived in Knoxville with no connections to the conference and probably felt desperate to make a splash early with top recruiting classes.

Either way, though, what Pruitt is doing is much better for the program long-term. As a result, Tennessee football fans should be patient and willing to ride things out. They may or may not make a splash in the early signing period. But they will be fine long-term.

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