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Tennessee football: Ranking all 25 full-time head coaches in Vols history

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee head coach Johnny Majors and offensive coordinator Phillip Fulmer watch the Vols warm up before the Memphis State game Saturday, Nov. 14, 1992Majors And Fulmer 1992
Tennessee head coach Johnny Majors and offensive coordinator Phillip Fulmer watch the Vols warm up before the Memphis State game Saturday, Nov. 14, 1992Majors And Fulmer 1992 /
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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 /

24th head coach. player. 839. Scouting Report. 20. Pick Analysis. 2018-20. Jeremy Pruitt

16-19 (10-16 SEC)

In terms of inheritance, Jeremy Pruitt has a case to have inherited the worst situation in Tennessee football history. However, on-field production, the most important factor, clearly wasn’t there, and the situation he left the Vols in drops him way down this list. It could actually put him below anybody on here.

Pruitt took over in 2018 for a team than had gone 4-8 and suffered its first winless SEC season in school history. He then went 5-7, 8-5 and 3-7, and the one year he had a winning record, his team started the year 0-2 with home losses to the Georgia State Panthers and BYU Cougars.

There were some highlights, including two upset wins over top 25 teams his first year, Kentucky and at the Auburn Tigers, and a six-game winning streak with two road wins over Kentucky and the Missouri Tigers to close out 2019. However, six losses by 25 or more in 2018 and constant blowouts all three years were impossible to avoid.

Then comes how things ended. Pruitt was fired for cause due to reports of alleged cheating and handing players cash, being so brazen that players reportedly received cash in McDonald’s bags. That resulted in Phillip Fulmer stepping down as athletic director and numerous staff members being fired for cause and having to leave the sport too.

All of that culminated with an NCAA investigation into Tennessee football that still hasn’t ended. Combine that with the barrage of players that transferred out after the team had already suffered through a losing season, and it’s safe to say Pruitt left a bigger mess than he inherited.

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