1 - catfishboy
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TN Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
Tennessee Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
Phillip Fulmer returned to Rocky Top in late 2017 – as the University of Tennessee athletics director hired “to fix football.”
Fulmer’s centerpiece of that endeavor has now spectacularly failed.
Tennessee is moving on from Jeremy Pruitt after three eventful seasons covering 35 games – 19 of them losses and 16 of those by 10 or more points.
Pete Thamel first reported the news. Thamel adds that “Phillip Fulmer’s future will also be addressed.”
The program also has been mired in an investigative quagmire for the past two months as first campus and now NCAA personnel, as well as outside attorneys and individual representatives for Pruitt and multiple of his Volunteers’ assistants, probed alleged recruiting improprieties and irregularities in the Tennessee program.
A process that first seemed contained to campus has, within the past two weeks, also included NCAA personnel involved with the formal, legal interviews of members of the Tennessee football coaching staff. Sources said the probe emanated from internal concerns about recruiting practices, subjected multiple coaches and staff members to a review of their practices and then expanded to include by college athletics’ governing body, the NCAA, and UT’s own decision to retain
After he replaced the fired Butch Jones on the heels of the 2017 season, the first-time head coach Pruitt and former national championship-winning defensive coordinator suffered through an understandably rough first year that concluded with a 5-7 mark.
The Vols’ lack of competitiveness, however, in a number of key games foreshadowed a consistent problem for Pruitt, who lost 13 games by three-or-more touchdowns and churned through assistant coaches, strength staff and medical staff. Tennessee also has more players currently in the NCAA’s Transfer Portal than any other Power-5 program in college football.
Pruitt’s replacement will be the Volunteers’ ninth head football coach – full-time or interim – since the school fired Fulmer in 2008 as he program had dipped in 2005 and further receded by, at that time, Urban Meyer’s Florida program and Nick Saban’s burgeoning Alabama juggernaut.
After Tennessee had 16-consecutive winning seasons from 1989-2004, Tennessee as a program is four games under .500 at 78-82 since the onset of the ’08 season – and it is a once-unheard-of 32 games under .500 in SEC play – 37-69.
Sunday night a Tennessee staffer told FootballScoop, “We’re done. It’s all over.”
Look for Kevin Steele to be named interim head coach.
More to come….
SOURCE: Brice, John. "Tennessee Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe." The Scoop, 18 January 2021,
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- catfishboy
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Re: TN Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
REPORT: Tennessee fires Jeremy Pruitt after three seasons
Photo by Caitlyn Jordan/RTI
Tennessee has fired head football coach Jeremy Pruitt after three seasons in charge of the program according to a report from Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports. Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer’s future is also in doubt.
Pruitt’s buyout is $12.8 million, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, while the buyout for Pruitt and his staff as a whole is $18.6 million. The 46-year-old signed a contract extension just before the season began that extended his contract through the 2025 season. Pruitt’s salary was set to increase to $4.2 million beginning in 2021.
The decision is on the heals of an investigation by compliance into the program and a disappointing 3-7 season. It marked the seventh loss in eight games after beginning the season 2-0. Each loss this season was by double-digits and UT lost five home games by an average of 22 points.
Multiple reports began to trickle out during Tennessee’s final game of the season against A&M that the program was under investigation. The reports stated that UT compliance department officials have interviewed current players, recruits, assistant coaches, student volunteers and other athletics department officials involved in football recruiting.
The alleged violations involve current Tennessee players along with recruits. There are multiple assistant coaches, staffers and players who have been questioned as part of the investigation. One report specifically named inside linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer.
Pruitt was 16-19 overall in his three years as Tennessee’s head coach. The Vols were 10-16 in SEC games under Pruitt.
Tennessee hired Pruitt after two seasons as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. Pruitt replaced Butch Jones following Jones’ firing towards the of the 2017 season. It was the first head coaching job for Pruitt after spending 11 seasons as an assistant coach in various roles at Alabama, Florida State and Georgia.
The Vols went 5-7 in year one under Pruitt. They secured two key wins during the 2018 season when they upset No. 21 Auburn on the road and defeated No. 11 Kentucky at home. Pruitt was named the National Coach of the Week by the Dodd Trophy following the 24-7 win over the Wildcats, while Tennessee’s 30-24 win over the Tigers was UT’s first upset victory over a ranked team on the road in 12 years.
Tennessee finished the 2019 season with six-straight wins after beginning the season 1-4 with embarrassing losses to Georgia State, BYU, Florida and Georgia. Year No. 2 under Pruitt finished with a dramatic 23-22 win over Indiana in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
It felt like the Vols were headed in the right direction under Pruitt entering this season. Pruitt’s program saw quite a bit of regression over the course of the 10-game SEC schedule, however. His defense finished ranked 64th nationally in total defense, and eighth in the conference. The offense was even worse, finishing 104th in total offense and 12th in the SEC.
SOURCE: McKee, Ben. "REPORT: Tennessee fires Jeremy Pruitt after three seasons." RockyTopInsider.com, 18 January 2021,
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Thread Starter- MeridianOMRebel
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Re: TN Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
If TN fires Pruitt, watch for the push to hire Freeze. Freeze has said that TN is his dream job. From what I've heard, feelers were put out with the SEC office last year on if the conference would be okay with hiring Freeze as a coordinator (not sure which school it was), and the conference gave the okay. I firmly believe if Pruitt is gone, then Freeze will be their next HC.
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Re: TN Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
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Thread Starter- catfishboy
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Re: TN Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
If Freeze is hired at UT, do you think he will tweet about cheating at UT like his famously stupid Ole Miss tweet?
[img](0x0:968x712):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/15992680/hughtweet.jpg[/img]
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Thread Starter- catfishboy
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Re: TN Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
Freeze is a buffoon and should not be allowed back in the SEC for what he did to Ole Miss. Of course since it is Ole Miss, the SEC office will not likely condone him.
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Thread Starter- Rock1Aggie
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Re: TN Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
catfishboy wrote:
Freeze is a buffoon and should not be allowed back in the SEC for what he did to Ole Miss. Of course since it is Ole Miss, the SEC office will not likely condone him.
100% disagree
- Rock1Aggie
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Re: TN Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
Tenn is complete morons for trying to save a few bucks by firing him with "cause".
They invited the NCAA into their house in order to try to save a few million. Peanuts in the scheme of things in a SEC football budget.
When the NCAA gets thru with them, they will be crying in their beer. It will set that program back 5-7 years. Any coach that takes that job now is a fool.
- Rock1Aggie
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Re: TN Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
I would expect Tenn to release those that signed in the early period from their letters of intent.
OM has 4 spots left, might get interesting on who ask out and OM looks at
- OneStopReb
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Re: TN Vols planning to fire Jeremy Pruitt amidst losing, NCAA probe
Maybe Freeze gets another shot in the SEC, maybe he doesn’t — but if I’m an AD or University President, I don’t go down that road....way too much baggage and too big a risk.