Tennessee football: Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt wins national titles his third year

As Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt enters his third year with the Volunteers, his last two third years on a job brought national championships.

Jeremy Pruitt is preparing for his third year on the job as head coach of Tennessee football. This will be the first time he has been in the same role for three years since before he began his career as an FBS defensive coordinator.

Dating back to 2013, his first year in that role, he spent one year with the Florida State Seminoles, winning a national championship, two years with the Georgia Bulldogs and two years with the Alabama Crimson Tide, winning another national championship. He has now completed two years as head coach of the Vols.

However, the last time he was in his third year in a role, he won his second straight national championship. That was when he was Nick Saban’s defensive backs coach in 2012. But that’s not the only time Pruitt was in his third year in a role in the college ranks.

Remember, Pruitt joined Saban’s staff as Director of Player development in 2007. He was in that role for three years as well, and Alabama won its first national title under Saban by going 14-0 in 2009, Pruitt’s third year on the job. He was promoted to secondary coach the next year, and 2009 remains Saban’s only undefeated season ever as a head coach.

Now, things are obviously different for Tennessee football. In both of his third years at Alabama, he came off a 12-win season in 2008 and a national championship in 2011. Meanwhile, with the Vols he is coming off an eight-win season.

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The only other time in his coaching career Pruitt was in his third year on a job was when he was an assistant for his father, Dale Pruitt, at Fort Payne High School in Fort Payne, Ala., which is located in DeKalb County, the northeastern portion of the state. His third year there was in 2003, and according to AHSFHS.org, they lost the first round of the playoffs that year.

So that’s proof that every third year doesn’t end in the ultimate championship for Pruitt. And in any case, we’re judging this off him as an assistant coach. These team’s successes are more reflective of a head coach. However, he still has a pretty good track record in the college ranks, and it may be something for Tennessee football fans to get excited about.

Even with a much tougher schedule, the Vols do have a much more experienced team heading into this year. Pruitt adding a top 10 recruiting class while keeping his coordinators in tact, which he didn’t do last year, only makes it better.

These are all the things everybody knows about the state of the program under Pruitt. He’s done a solid job rebuilding the roster, and now we just have to wait and see if he can deliver with the talent. There’s certainly not more talent than the elite SEC schools, but there is clearly enough to be competitive.