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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 Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images /

6-7 (3-5). Verdict: Worse (Fired). 893. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Joe Moorhead. 3

Honestly, Joe Moorhead is a bit tricker than Chad Morris to figure out. Yes, he was fired after a losing season his second year, doing two games worse than Tennessee football, and he also lost to Jeremy Pruitt and the Vols. By the most obvious metrics, his second year was worse than Pruitt’s second year on Rocky Top.

Also, Moorhead inherited a team that was 9-4 in 2017, while Pruitt inherited one that was 4-8, and each year, MSU got worse under Moorhead while the Vols got better. Ironically, he got fired with a former UT defensive coordinator as his defensive coordinator, Bob Shoop, just like Morris got fired with John Chavis on staff.

Anyway, by all these metrics, yes, Moorhead was worse. What’s tricky, though, is the situation. Moorhead was always going to have two first years in Starkville. He installed a new offense, which would slow things down with a loaded team in 2018. Then he would have to replace tons of starters in 2019, most notably Nick Fitzgerald at quarterback.

The combination of those things is why we actually say it was a mistake for MSU to fire Moorhead, and given the situations, he wasn’t significantly worse than Pruitt. However, he was indeed worse simply due to the consistent regression of the program. Moorhead’s second season was worse than his first, which was worse than his predecessor’s last season.

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