Jeremy Pruitt is going home and that’s good news for the home team.

Alabama welcomes back Pruitt, who was the defensive coordinator at Georgia the last two seasons, as its new defensive coordinator. Pruitt left Tuscaloosa, where he was a defensive assistant, prior to the 2013 season for Florida State. After one year with the Seminoles (and a National Championship), he left for Athens where he coached the final two years of the Mark Richt era. Now, it’s back to Bama as the defensive coordinator, where he ironically replaces Kirby Smart, who is now the head coach of the Bulldogs.

You look at the prospects that Pruitt, an Alabama native and former high school coach in that state, has signed during his career and the list is impressive. This year’s Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry is the first that comes to mind. Former Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon is another. Current Bama linebacker Reggie Ragland and former All-American C.J. Mosley both were Pruitt recruits. He landed stud safety Jalen Ramsey and five-star linebacker Matthew Thomas during his one-year run at Florida State. At Georgia, he has been responsible, either as the primary or secondary recruiter, for countless defensive recruits as the Bulldogs have had to rebuild their personnel on that side of the ball.

Simply put, the track record on the recruiting trail in terms of elite talent signed is as good as an assistant in the country. When you consider that he’s done it at three different programs over the span of four cycles (Alabama, Florida State and Georgia), his record is perhaps unmatched when it comes to recruiting in the south for the last half decade.

It isn’t as if the Crimson Tide is in dire need of help on the recruiting trail. Alabama has signed five straight No. 1 classes and for the 2016 cycle, the Tide currently sits at No. 4 nationally with 18 commitments. But with the departure of Smart, himself a nationally-honored recruiter, it was paramount for head coach Nick Saban to fill that void. There perhaps wasn’t a better candidate than Pruitt and since he was available, it was a no-brainer.

It will be intriguing to see how the Smart/Pruitt “trade” impacts recruiting within the state of Georgia, particularly as it relates to the Bulldogs and Tide.

As rotating cross-division opponents in the Southeastern Conference, Georgia and Alabama rarely play on the football field, but make no mistake there’s a rivalry between the two programs thanks to the annual battles fought in the fertile recruiting territory of the Peach State. That was due to Smart, who was responsible in large part for getting Alabama back into Georgia and competing for top prospects in that state.

Prior to Saban’s and Smart’s arrival at Alabama, the Crimson Tide did not have much success, or put much emphasis on, raiding its eastern neighbor. Under the current regime, Smart has signed nearly two-dozen blue chippers from the state of Georgia to Alabama.

So with Pruitt’s experience within the Peach State at UGA, it’s quite likely he will not only inherit Smart’s defense, but also Smart’s recruiting territory. That will make for some interesting battles and also will fuel what has become a “cold war-type” of rivalry between the Bulldogs and Tide even more.

Given Pruitt’s skill set and track record, you have to like his chances to go into Georgia and win his share.

Beyond the obvious recruiting angle (particularly with Georgia), Pruitt also has an excellent reputation as a coach/coordinator. Contacts rave about his organization, his drive and his knowledge of the game. He will be an excellent hire as a head coach some day (perhaps at Alabama) and certainly is a proven winner.

All of these attributes add up to a happy homecoming.