TENNESSEE
The Tennessee Volunteers didn’t have the best National Signing Day, missing out on several of their top targets on Wednesday.
However, first-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt has big plans for the future, and isn’t getting down on his team after a disappointing day.
During his press conference on Wednesday night, Pruitt says he has high hopes for the Vols’ 2019 recruiting class and expects it to be at the top of the SEC:
#New Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt: Give this staff a full year, and when you look at the rankings next year on National Signing Day, we’re gonna be right at the top.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) February 8, 2018
According to the 247Sports rankings, the Vols finished the day with the No. 8 class in the SEC and the No. 20 overall class in the nation.
The class features eight 4-star signees and 14 3-star athletes. Pruitt will need to do better with his 2019 class, but he won’t be splitting time between Tennessee and Alabama, so that should help.
Butch made same promises with other words.
We will be lucky if TN isnt buried deep by 2019.
All you “fans” rallying behind pruitt. Why?
He has no experience. His experience under saban is not enough to be a head coach. After seeing his lack of ability to recruit, what are your excuses now?
Your an idiot is what I think. Look at what Pruitt took over after Currie’s meltdown. Recruits will come. I am on board until Pruitt shows he is not the man. Butch Jones moment was the Oklahoma game. Until then, rally around the man and stfu. If this guy can coach, he will do wonders. Jones could recruit but couldnt coach a lick.
Jones moment was in 2014 against Florida. He found a way to lose to an absolutely dreadful Florida team. Oklahoma, 2015 was the same song-just on a bigger stage.
As far as rallying behind our coach, is there any other choice? Is there any way that he could possibly be worse than Jones?
I don’t expect any miracles in 2018. Pruitt must rebuild the character and culture of the team first.
Jones had many games to call that but the Oklahoma game that year where they came back and won in OT showed what a slouch of a coach Jones was. Kicked a dang FG on the 1 foot line after boasting all summer of the CMG run game. Hell, Jones had a chance to beat Florida 4 out of the 5 years he was here but only won once.
Uum, that doesn’t sound much like the kind of thing Pruitt would say. Something tells me he’s had someone in his ear about that.
Just way to many unknowns on the team and to little time to have an impact recruiting year this year. You got what you got now. The key to 2019 recruiting is what he does on the field first. It is a brutal schedule. If he could find a way to get to 7-5 that will kick start the recruiting. Maybe even 6-6. But anything less may prove a problem to recruit at the top in 19.
Honestly the staff didn’t do bad, considering everything that happened, and the amount of time they had to salvage the class. When Pruitt took over, the class was sitting at something like 50th on 247. Getting them to 20th, with the circus that is UT athletics was a borderline miracle. They certainly whiffed on a handful of prospects, but I suspect that will be different next year.
That’s a big promise. But I wonder who is sitting at the top of the 2019 recruiting rankings now? Hmmm… my understanding is that the top team there already has more 5 stars (3) committed than any other SEC team had in the full 2018 recruiting cycle. Yikes.
Could be UGA again. They are on a roll but there is a lot to happen between now and then. It’s coach speak season now and all the new coaches are saying what they need to say.
Agreed.
Give UT a gun slinger at QB that can run just a little, and watch out.