I don't know if people outside the SEC know just how good Jeremy Pruitt is at recruiting and the connections he has with high school programs in the South. Whether or not he uses cars to ploy kids to go there is neither here nor there IMO. I didn't realize this until I looked into his coaching career but he was a high school coach for 10 years before joining Alabama's staff.
Nick Saban chose wisely back in '07. Before the Alabama dynasty began, Pruitt was the director of player development from 2007-2009. We all know what happened after Bama beat Texas in '09. Alabama is sitting at 41st on Rivals and 47th on a competitor's site for the 2021 team rankings. I know it's still a long ways away until December, but the players that are committing to Tennessee are the same ones that would commit to Pruitt at Bama, Florida State and Georgia the past 12 years. I don't know how many assistants he persuaded to follow him to Tennessee, but as a coach he has had some stout defenses everywhere he's been. It will be really interesting to see if his overall player development of both defense and offense matches his recruiting so far this cycle.
Nebraska vs Tennessee on September 12, 2026!