Kirk Herbstreit has taken some heat from Volunteer fans following his thoughts on the near Greg Schiano hire that former Tennessee AD John Currie tried to make. Now it appears the College GameDay host may have worked himself back into the good graces of Vol Nation.

The longtime ESPN analyst was asked to share his thoughts on the Jeremy Pruitt hire in Knoxville by a Tennessee fan on Twitter. Like most people when discussing Pruitt, Herbstreit mentioned his prowess as a recruiter, which is arguably the most valuable attribute a college coach can have in today’s college football world.

Make no mistake, recruiting isn’t the only trait that matters — something Tennessee fans know all too well from the Butch Jones and Derek Dooley eras — but it is the foundation that all elite college football programs are built. The hope in Knoxville is that Pruitt knows what he’s doing when it comes to developing that talent as well as he can recruit prospects to Knoxville.

Something that Herbstreit eludes to when discussing Pruitt’s past success and his ability to relate to his players — which is also reminiscent of what several Alabama defenders made quite clear as Pruitt’s time in Tuscaloosa came to an end in the recent College Football Playoff.

Here’s the original question sent to Herbstreit:

Followed up by his thoughts on Tennessee’s new coach: