Tennessee football at Georgia: Keys to the game for Vols and Dawgs

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

9. Familiarity between Jeremy Pruitt and Kirby Smart

Jeremy Pruitt and Kirby Smart worked on the Alabama Crimson Tide staff under Nick Saban from 2007 to 2012. In fact, they’ve worn almost the exact same hats. Smart was the defensive backs coach in 2007. When he became defensive coordinator in 2008, Pruitt took over the DBs coaching position and held it until 2012.

Both are exact clones of Saban himself in that regard. Pruitt then left to become defensive coordinator of the Florida State Seminoles for a year, but then he spent two years as defensive coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs. He left when Smart took the head coaching position at Georgia, only to take the role Smart left, defensive coordinator under Saban at Alabama.

Simply put, Pruitt and Smart have been in the same coaching circles and coached together for years. It’s worth noting that Smart was a graduate assistant at Florida State as well in 2002 and 2003 and worked with Jimbo Fisher on the opposite side for Saban and the LSU Tigers in 2004.

The connections run deep with both of these guys, and that could play a role on Saturday’s game. Does Pruitt have something special planned for his former co-worker? Could it be enough to make this game a bit of a toss-up? You never know.

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