A few weeks from the start of his third season at the University of Tennessee, Jeremy Pruitt is hard at work continuing its efforts to ensure the transition from mid-tier Vols in the SEC to national respect is guaranteed at one of the nation’s preserved programs. Pruitt told us earlier this year that he has a purchase of players and he is anxious to see how his veteran squad responds this fall, in hopes of building the momentum that was put in the stretch last season.
How does the rest of the SEC view Vols’ football program as it stands now?
Earlier this summer we published a few anonymous thoughts from opposing SEC coaches on the Vols via Lindy’s and now there’s more from Athlon Sports, whose annual preview of college football is now available at newsstands.
“Right now they’re on track to be good, but not great,” one anonymous coach recently told Athlon Sports. “That work is getting harder and harder every year that the fan base is being flown by Florida and Alabama and the big boys.”
Tennessee gets a chance to play both of these preseason Top 10s this season, along with Georgia, during the SEC’s revised 10 game, only slate in league.
“The good news is that they look more like old Tennessee,” said one coach. “They’re bigger and faster, they develop guys they recruit and those two things haven’t worked together for a long time for their defense.”
Pruitt landed the nation’s 10th best class during the 2020 cycle per the 247Sports Composite and is off to a great start to 2021 with 24 missions despite a revised recruiting calendar. The Tennessee 2021 group is currently ranked sixth nationally, third in the SEC, according to the Composite.
“Butch (Jones) was not a bad recruiter, but Jeremy does a better job,” said another anonymous coach. “That’s the nicest thing they’re going on. They evaluate like Alabama and Georgia in terms of identifying guys. When you go out on the road, they ‘feel’ more like them.
“They are in the right place. The problem is that they are at that tree with Bama and UGA. They need that big moment to turn heads with the elite prospects.”
