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Rick Barnes to Jeremy Pruitt: Tennessee Vols 10 notable 2010s coaching hires

By Caleb Calhoun

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - JANUARY 08: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers directs his team against the Missouri Tigers in the second half at Mizzou Arena on January 08, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - JANUARY 08: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers directs his team against the Missouri Tigers in the second half at Mizzou Arena on January 08, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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In a very similar manner to Tony Vitello, Jeremy Pruitt was a guy who had all the qualifications to be hired with the exception of head coaching experience. But the success of Kirby Smart with the Georgia Bulldogs, Dabo Swinney with the Clemson Tigers and Lincoln Riley with the Oklahoma Sooners proved you could hire assistants with proven track records.

Phillip Fulmer did just that here. Obviously, it was a crazy process. John Currie tried to sneak in the Greg Schiano hire knowing it would be unpopular. Then it backfired, and he made a series of blunders, including getting played by Mike Gundy, almost getting Jeff Brohm but not telling the administration, and preferring Dave Doeren before going for Mike Leach.

These missteps are why Fulmer became the Tennessee Vols athletic director to begin with. It was the only move to unite the program, and although Fulmer may not make the most exciting hire, everybody knew he would do his due-diligence.

Fulmer did just that with the Pruitt hire. A five-year defensive coordinator, nobody had proven more than Pruitt in his role. His one year with the Florida State Seminoles and two years with the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide each showed how incredibly gifted he was as a coach. The way his players loved him showed how good of a leader he was too.

Pruitt’s resume of success is what puts him ahead of Vitello. The two matched each other in elite recruiting skills. But, beyond even Vitello, Pruitt had a deep understanding of the SEC, growing up in Alabama, playing for the Crimson Tide, coaching high school in Alabama and then spending years with the Tide, UGA and FSU, which is in SEC country.

While 2017 made fans clamor for more of a splash offensive hire like Leach, Fulmer made the point in the press conference introducing Pruitt that six of the eight teams who beat the Vols that year were led by former defensive coordinators. So he knew what was needed to win in the SEC. Pruitt still may not work out, but on paper the hire made sense.

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