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Tennessee football: Last four seasons Jeremy Pruitt entered second year in role

By Caleb Calhoun

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)
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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Jeremy Pruitt
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images /

3. 2015: Georgia Bulldogs

Defensive Coordinator

10-3 (5-3); W TaxSlayer Bowl; No. 24 Coaches

When Mark Richt brought in Jeremy Pruitt in 2014, it seemed like the perfect hire on paper. Pruitt had just won a national championship his first ever season as a defensive coordinator with the Florida State Seminoles under Jimbo Fisher.

As a Nick Saban protege who brought that type of intensity and would keep the 3-4 defense, his experience was perfect. However, clashes in style between Richt’s calm demeanor and Pruitt’s fiery leadership became evident, and it got worse in the second year.

This was the second year. Combined with a series of injuries, the defense struggled at times. Most notably, it struggled both years against Tennessee football, and this year the Vols came back from being down 24-3 to beat them.

However, Pruitt still did a great job overall if you look at the results on paper. UGA had the top pass defense in the nation and the No. 7 ranked defense overall, and when Richt was fired at the end of the year, numerous players stepped up and voiced support for keeping Pruitt above anybody else on the staff.

Kirby Smart then arrived and didn’t keep the guy who worked under him for three years with the Alabama Crimson Tide, which resulted in Pruitt heading back to Tuscaloosa. But he still was the biggest reason this UGA team won 10 games. So the success was still there, and Pruitt’s resume got Saban to give him a call back.

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