Randy Smith
I have no idea what the term "winning the press conference" actually means. However, if Jeremy Pruitt didn't win his
on Thursday evening, he came awfully close. Pruitt was introduced as Tennessee's 26th head football coach, ending a tumultuous month for the Vol Nation.
He was introduced to the crowd of media and Vol fans by former head coach and current athletic director Phillip Fulmer who is no doubt doing everything he can do to save the football program.
Pruitt, who is 43 years old and most recently has been the defensive coordinator for Nick Saban at Alabama, will be pulling double duty for a while. He will continue to coach the 'Bama defense through the College Football Playoffs, while at the same time he will be working hard on recruiting for the Vols and putting together his staff. It's not surprising at all for folks who know Jeremy Pruitt. He has a reputation for being a tireless worker as well as being completely dedicated to his student-athletes. That's good news for Tennessee fans, but that dedication was perhaps the tipping point for Coach Fulmer in the hiring process.
News of the official hiring began to break Wednesday, not only in the media but on social media as well. The fact that most Vol fans seem to be excited about Pruitt's hiring is a good thing, though there are a few diehards who aren't comfortable with Tennessee hiring an Alabama guy as head football coach. Those diehards should look simply at results from the last decade. Alabama has won four national titles during that time while the Vols are barely above .500. So if you can hire a coach from the "Nick Saban tree" it's a wise move. Fans should look at what the previous defensive coordinator at Alabama (Kirby Smart) has done at Georgia.
The Volunteers of 2017 looked nothing like the great Vol teams of the 1990s or even from 50 years ago. Tennessee has a great history and tradition. The Vols are still rated ninth in all-time college football wins and can easily lay claim to a top ten program. Tennessee is also second only to Alabama in SEC titles, but team 121 is at the very bottom of the SEC. This was the first winless team in Tennessee history(0-8) in league play. It's apparent that Coach Pruitt has his work cut out for him.
Tennessee fans should be very patient. It will take at least two great recruiting classes to get the Vols back in contention for an SEC title. While the hiring of Dan Mullen at Florida and what Kirby Smart has done at Georgia makes it appear to be even tougher, Jeremy Pruitt is determined to be successful at Tennessee. When asked about that during the press conference last night, Pruitt replied, "If I didn't think I could do it, I wouldn't be here." Tennessee fans take heart; better days are ahead.
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for 30 years. He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga television for more than a quarter-century. In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith. They have five grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, Mattingly, DellaMae, and CoraLee.