ATLANTA — Tennessee attended SEC Media Days on Wednesday and stirred up quite a bit of news. That was a bit surprising considering no one believes the Vols can compete for the SEC East title this season.
Here are my takeaways from the Vols’ appearance at SEC Media Days:
Aaron Murray stole the show
Murray is now 5-0 against the Vols. He was 4-0 on the field and he beat UT at Media Days this week. Murray’s comments about Jeremy Pruitt on Tuesday forced a narrative for the Vols on Wednesday. Murray, a record-setting Georgia quarterback who is an analyst for CBS Sports, questioned whether Pruitt had the personality to be a head coach. (Pruitt joined Georgia’s staff a year after Murray was the QB.) Pruitt and UT’s trio of players had to spend much of their time Wednesday dealing with questions about Murray’s comments instead of talking about their team.
Frankly, I’ve wondered the same thing that Murray expressed. Pruitt doesn’t like doing media interviews, which makes me wonder how he interacts with team personnel, donors and fans. Pruitt canceled Fan Day for the Orange and White Game, which I thought was a mistake. He’s also limited access to players and coaches, which would have gotten UT fans more excited about the season.
It’s easy to call it the Alabama Way, but it’s really not. Bama head coach Nick Saban visits with the media two times per week during the season and players are readily available to reporters. Saban draws the line at assistant coaches, who are not allowed to meet with the media. Only coordinators speak to the media and that’s just twice per season. When it comes to dealing with the media, Pruitt’s way is even more strict than the Bama way. Will that change this season?
Pruitt and Mark Richt really didn’t get along
From afar, I had no idea the relationship between Pruitt and Richt had been so bad when they coached together at Georgia. Speaking to some media members who covered Georgia during the time, the relationship between Richt and Pruitt got really bad. I won’t get into details, but they said it was irreconcilable and ugly by the end of the relationship.
Now, there are two ways to look at that. Either Pruitt was too hardcore or Richt was too laid back. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Pruitt wasn’t OK with a 10-win season and a Belk Bowl bid. That was considered a failure. For Richt, that was acceptable. No matter which side you take, it’s clear that Pruitt is a hardcore football guy who is incredibly driven.
Pruitt continues to improve on the mic
Pruitt is never going to be Jerry Seinfeld on stage, but the first-year head coach has improved his public speaking drastically. His introductory interview was full of the phrase “a’ight,” which Pruitt has since dropped. He is slowly opening up and getting more comfortable. That was evident Wednesday.
I get the feeling that Pruitt doesn’t enjoy media and public speaking because he feels like he could be doing something more productive. There’s recruiting and video study, but he’s also trying to rebuild the Vols from top to bottom, which includes replacing some of UT’s support staff. Pruitt would rather be doing any of that than visiting with reporters that he doesn’t really want to reveal anything to.
I’ll go on record that Pruitt will be incredible in his first press conference after a bad loss. Pruitt will be brutally honest about his team’s performance. That should be entertaining.
Kyle Phillips is excited about his new opportunity
Now a senior, this is a contract season for Phillips. The defensive end (pictured above) was highly touted as a recruit when he signed with the Vols and I still believe he has talent to make some good money playing football. I also believe he’s a better fit for Pruitt’s defensive style than Jones’ approach. The simplicity of Pruitt’s defense should also help Phillips’ transition relatively easy.
Phillips is so fired up for this season that he called Pruitt a “fun guy.” Phillips must be happy about Pruitt and the new defense because I doubt Pruitt has ever been called a “fun guy” before.
Eli Wolf is something for Vol fans to be proud of
I know the past few years haven’t been great for UT fans, but take pride in Wolf. Pruitt chose him to represent the Vols just a few months after mistaking Wolf for a manager or trainer during their first meeting. Once a walk-on who seemed like just an add-on to his brother, Ethan Wolf, Eli has gained 20 pounds, has speed and might just be the surprise player the Vols need on offense.
Dave Hooker started covering Tennessee in 1998. He hosts an SEC radio show out of Chattanooga and covers the SEC for Saturday Down South.
