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Tennessee football adds assistant strength coach from Alabama

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Jeremy Pruitt lured a coach from the Alabama Crimson Tide to the Tennessee football Volunteers.

A major focus this past offseason for Tennessee football has been on the strength program. Not only was it critical for the Vols to stay in shape amidst the pandemic, but Jeremy Pruitt had to replace strength coach Craig Fitzgerald, who left for the NFL, with A.J. Artis.

In the process of shaping up his strength staff, Pruitt added a coach from the Alabama Crimson Tide as well. Assistant Kindal Moorehead is joining Rocky Top’s sports performance staff, according to Patrick Brown of GoVols247.

Morehead, who went to Melrose High School in Memphis, played for the Tide in the late 1990s and early 2000s, for both Mike DuBose and Dennis Franchione. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers and played there for five years before spending a sixth year, which was also his final year, with the Atlanta Falcons in 2008.

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The year Pruitt was promoted to defensive backs coach for the Tide, 2010, was the year Moorehead returned to work for the program under Nick Saban. He had been there since then before leaving for Tennessee football.

Between Moorehead and Artis, it’s clear that Pruitt is placing a heavy emphasis on the strength and conditioning program. That’s good news for the Vols because a big reason for the collapse of the program under Butch Jones was, well, his lack of emphasis in that area.

Jones’ longtime strength and conditioning coach, Dave Lawson, left the program back in the spring of 2016, just as it was on the rise. Rather than bother to name a full-time leader of the program, he let Mike Szerszen take over the role that summer without giving him the official title.

A slew of injuries that ruined a 5-0 start to the 2016 season resulted in Jones bringing Rock Gullickson on to run the program for 2017. However, the damage was done, and things only got worse, which was why he was fired.

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One big reason Pruitt had such trouble rebuilding Tennessee football was the lack of conditioning of the players. He was severely limited in his first spring. With things finally picking up, he knew he couldn’t miss a beat amidst the departure of Fitzgerald. That makes this a critical hire.

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