KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Now that he no longer has to divide his time between two jobs, Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt can concentrate solely on transforming the Volunteers into Southeastern Conference championship contenders once again.
Not that he ever stopped thinking about Tennessee football even while helping Alabama win a national title in his position as the Crimson Tide's defensive coordinator. And nne day after Alabama completed its title run, Pruitt was back in Knoxville for good.
"The whole reason that I stayed and coached in that game was because I felt like I needed to do it for those kids to help them get what they want," Pruitt said Wednesday in his first news conference since returning to Tennessee's campus.