It’s no surprise that Jeremy Pruitt retained Tracy Rocker as his defensive line coach when he arrived at Tennessee. The two knew each other from when they were both assistants at Georgia.

In fact, Pruitt said during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches’ Teleconference that he and Rocker were neighbors during their time with the Bulldogs.

  • [Former Georgia Tech defensive coordinator] Ted Roof recommended Tracy and we ended up being neighbors. My family and his family spend time together.

Pruitt was the defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2014-15, while Rocker was the defensive line coach from 2014-16. Rocker joined the Vols’ staff soon after Pruitt was hired to be the coach on Rocky Top.

  • I think he gets his players to work hard and [won multiple awards as a player]. Good recruiter, he’s a good man.

Pruitt discussed several other topics during the teleconference. Here’s a brief overview:

  • On waiting for linebacker JJ Peterson: We are still in the holding pattern. I’m sure it’s about to get ruled on. As soon as we know, everyone else will know.
  • On quarterback JT Shrout leading scout team: He has a really good arm, has good athletic ability. having the ability to run other offenses will probably make him more aware and add to his awareness overall. Gives him a chance to have his own team. That [scout] team is his team now. … Sometimes guys look at scout team as a negative, it’s not a negative, it’s a chance to improve as a player.
  • On the difficulty of preparing QB Keller Chryst to play: I don’t think there are any difficulties. He graduated from Stanford, so he’s a sharp guy. Coach’s son. … It’s been really good for our team.