First-year UT coach Jeremy Pruitt and the Vols faithful got off to a somewhat rocky start this spring. After the annual Orange and White game, Pruitt called out the Tennessee fans who chose not to show up to Neyland Stadium. While many fans came to his defense and called the comments overblown by the media, they still aren’t the kind of headlines a program wants in the first year under a new coach.

Good news for Pruitt and the Tennessee fans: The Big Orange Caravan seems to have helped the new coach develop a deeper appreciation of the fanbase’s passion for all things Volunteers.

“For me,” Pruitt said during a recent interview on Sports Radio WNML’s ‘The Erik Ainge Show’, “I would say inspiring.”

Pruitt was on the road last month meeting Tennessee fans as part of The Big Orange Caravan. He expects to see a strong showing from Vols fans this September in Charlotte for the season-opening clash with West Virginia.

“I think our fans are going to do that, it don’t matter who we’re playing,” Pruitt said of the neutral-site meeting at Bank of America Stadium. “I think our fanbase is excited about getting this season going. I know we’ll do that.”

More from Pruitt’s segment on the show can be heard here.

[H/T GoVols247]