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Tennessee football: Comparing Jeremy Pruitt to other second-year SEC coaches

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers shakes hands with head coach Joe Moorhead of the Mississippi State Bulldogs following a game at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers shakes hands with head coach Joe Moorhead of the Mississippi State Bulldogs following a game at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images /

Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Verdict: Worse (Fired). 4. 2-8 (0-6). Chad Morris. player. 844

Okay, so this one’s obvious. Chad Morris was fired before he could even finish the season, and he never won an SEC game as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Former Tennessee football defensive coordinator John Chavis was the defensive coordinator for the Hogs, and it wasn’t helpful at all for the program he was trying to build.

When Pruitt and Morris both arrived at their respective programs in 2018, we always had Morris rated higher than Pruitt because he had three years of experience with the SMU Mustangs and did lead them to a winning season. However, given his resume, we also considered him an overrated hire. Still, nobody could have predicted his tenure would be this disastrous.

Trying to install his offensive schemes, which made him famous as the Clemson Tigers offensive coordinator, Morris went 2-10 and 0-8 in the SEC his first year. His second year, he got off to a 2-1 start. But then he lost seven straight, including non-conference embarrassments against the San Jose State Spartans and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

After losing 45-19 to WKU, who was led by former UT offensive coordinator Tyson Helton as head coach, he was fired. Arkansas would lose its last two games under interim head coach Barry Lunney Jr. What’s clear, though, is Pruitt was significantly better than Morris was both years they coached in the SEC together. This one wasn’t even close to being a question.

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