Christian Miller is among the Alabama players who remember fondly the kind of impact Jeremy Pruitt had with the Crimson Tide when he was the defensive coordinator.

Miller, a linebacker, said Pruitt, now Tennessee’s head coach, was definitely a players coach because he had the players’ best interest at heart.

“He looked out for us in terms of if we were ever down, you could talk to him,” Miller said, according to Bama OnLine. “He’s one of those kind of guys. You could reach him on a personal level. He did a lot for us. And like I said, a great coach.”

Fellow linebacker Mack Wilson, though, says he still has a great relationship with Pruitt and they text regularly, such as after wins.

“I feel like our relationship will always be there,” Wilson said. “I bonded well with his wife and his kids, so he’s more like a father figure to me. I look up to him. And obviously, he’s a great coach.”

After Kirby Smart left for Georgia, Pruitt began recruiting Wilson, a 5-star prospect.

On the SEC Media Teleconference this week, Pruitt explained his philosophy on building relationships while coaching, from high school, to Florida State, Georgia and Alabama, and now at Tennessee.

“Everywhere I’ve coached, I’ve really had one goal, and that was to help the players get what they want,” Pruitt said Wednesday. “I think it’s why we’re in the business. We’re in it for the players. It gives us a great opportunity to give back to them. I know me as a player growing up, I was very fortunate to play for a lot of really good coaches that not only helped me as a football player but helped me off the field.”

There will no doubt be a reunion on Saturday when the teams meet in Neyland Stadium.