Tennessee football: Ranking Jeremy Pruitt and all other SEC coaches for 2019

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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Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Record at LSU: 25-9 (41-36 overall)

*Also coached at USC Trojans, Ole Miss Rebels

Championships: 0

Postseason accomplishments

Bowl appearances: 4 (1 at USC but didn’t coach; 3 at LSU)

Top 25 finishes: 3 (All at LSU)

Top 10 finishes: 1

No Tennessee football fan will ever give Ed Orgeron love after his attempts to tell recruits not to go to class the day after Lane Kiffin’s departure for the USC Trojans. And he still does not seem like a guy who will ever win a war of wits with Nick Saban.

But Orgeron’s ability to keep a team together and recruit appears to have the LSU Tigers afloat. Hey, he has now overseen three straight top 25 finishes after taking over as the interim head coach in 2016, and the Tigers are now coming off a top 10 finish. So they’re actually getting better under him.

Although his tenure with the Ole Miss Rebels was a disaster, he left tons of talent that Houston Nutt was able to win with immediately. So it’s clear that Orgeron knows how to bring in talent, and he now has a great staff with guys like Dave Aranda running the defense. So that combination could spell great success, and it’s all a reflection of Orgeron.