TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- For two practices, it wasn’t clear who exactly was running Alabama’s defense. It might have been head coach Nick Saban, who said, “We’re all kind of filling in where we can,” but he never came out and said whether he or anyone else was serving as Jeremy Pruitt’s stand-in as defensive coordinator.
This much was clear: Pruitt was not there. His slick, bald head and twangy Southern accent were noticeably absent when the No. 4-ranked Crimson Tide began preparation for Clemson on Dec. 15. Having recently accepted the job as Tennessee’s next head coach, Pruitt was preoccupied with recruiting for the early signing period.