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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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Hardin County’s Hudson Wolfe (87) watches the game against Adamsville at Lendon Martin Memorial Stadium in Adamsville, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 28, 2020.Ska5464
Hardin County’s Hudson Wolfe (87) watches the game against Adamsville at Lendon Martin Memorial Stadium in Adamsville, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 28, 2020.Ska5464 /

3. Recruiting still going well

This is two-fold. Jeremy Pruitt has recruited a lot of talented players who haven’t really worked their way up the depth chart yet because of the experienced guys in the system when he arrived. Most notably among them is Harrison Bailey, a five-star true freshman quarterback who has all the hype but is backing up Jarrett Guarantano this year.

Beyond such backup talent, though, Tennessee football also has a solid recruiting class coming in. Sure, it has slipped over the past couple of months, but the Vols’ 2021 class is still ranked No. 8 nationally with 26 commitments. Don’t forget that it was as high as No. 2 nationally and No. 1 in the SEC this past summer.

What’s standing out is that this slide hasn’t led any recruits to rethink their commitment. Just this week, quarterback Kaidon Salter reaffirmed his commitment. That’s been the case for a lot of elite guys in this class. In fact, during the slide, not one player has decommitted.

That was not the case when the program was coming apart under Butch Jones down the stretch of the 2016 season. Numerous players went elsewhere, turning a top five class into barely a top 20 class, which led to Jones’ “five-star hearts” comment. Recruiting is still the lifeblood of the program, and Pruitt is doing what he needs to do there.

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