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Tennessee football: Five best arguments for Vols to stick with Jeremy Pruitt

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 2, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Jeremy Pruitt watches his team stretch out before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2020 Taxslayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Jeremy Pruitt watches his team stretch out before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2020 Taxslayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee players run onto the field at the start of the Alabama and Tennessee football game at Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020.Tennessee Vs Alabama Football 100152
Tennessee players run onto the field at the start of the Alabama and Tennessee football game at Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020.Tennessee Vs Alabama Football 100152 /

Here are reasons for the Tennessee football Volunteers to keep their head coach.

On Wednesday, we had a post breaking down all the good arguments for Tennessee football to cut bait with head coach Jeremy Pruitt right now. In the midst of their second open week in three weeks and on a four-game losing streak with a 2-4 record, the Vols have plenty of reasons to get rid of the guy.

However, we also noted that there was no chance of Phillip Fulmer making that decision. He’s way too invested in his hire. As a result, the Vols were going to have to stick it out with Pruitt past this year for sure. It might not be all bad, though.

There are plenty of cases to make in Pruitt’s favor, even if he deserves a lot of the criticism he’s received for what’s happened this year. Let’s break down why it may not be time to move on just yet. These are the five best arguments for Tennessee football to stick with Pruitt past this season and through the 2021 season.

5. Player respect

Since his days as a defensive coordinator, Jeremy Pruitt has been known for player respectBack in 2015, when the Georgia Bulldogs fired Mark Richt, numerous players on the team begged for the administration to keep Pruitt on staff, which you can read about here.

A telling sign of his respect with Tennessee football is a look at the transfers. Yes, the Vols have had players enter the transfer portal, but almost all of them were buried in the depth chart and not seeing any action. Some players, including Joe Doyle and Kurrott Garland, came back after entering the portal.

Think back to Butch Jones. High-profile players seeing a good bit of action were transferring midseason. The most notable example was Jalen Hurd in 2016, who was the Vols’ leading rusher on the year at the time. However, Preston Williams and Venzell Boulware were other midseason transfers. Say what you want about Pruitt, but players aren’t leaving him just to jump ship.

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