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Tennessee football’s NFL Draft success: Who gets the most credit? Jeremy Pruitt or Josh Heupel?

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel congratulates wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) during senior day ceremonies before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel congratulates wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) during senior day ceremonies before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football /
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Tennessee Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt runs off the field after a game between Tennessee and Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Tennessee defeated Auburn 30-24.Auburntennessee1013 1831 RANK 10
Tennessee Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt runs off the field after a game between Tennessee and Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Tennessee defeated Auburn 30-24.Auburntennessee1013 1831 RANK 10 /

3. Jeremy Pruitt

Say what you want about Jeremy Pruitt, but he and his staff have their hands all over this draft class. Okay, so Matthew Butler and Theo Jackson were both on the team when he arrived. Well, he developed Jackson by switching him around from nickel to safety, allowing him the versatility he needs to be a draft prospect.

Meanwhile, Pruitt helped Butler get bigger and turned him into a defensive tackle, giving him versatility as well. He also was the one who signed Velus Jones Jr. as a transfer to Tennessee football from USC. Tee Martin had a hand in that, but he did it as part of Pruitt’s staff.

Then we go back to Cade Mays and Alontae Taylor. Pruitt is responsible for bringing back Mays as a transfer from Georgia, and part of that was because he was able to sign Mays’ younger brother, Cooper Mays. Oh, he and Jim Chaney also added to Mays’ versatility profile by moving him over to right guard in 2020.

Finally, there’s Taylor. He’s the one player who committed to a Pruitt recruiting class. Well, he committed as an athlete. Pruitt was the guy who chose to play him at cornerback and started him from his freshman year on. That allowed him to develop when healthy for Tennessee football, so you can’t take that away from Pruitt.

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