Volunteers have coach Pruitt’s full attention
Frost wins Coach of Year honors; Wyoming QB to be in Senior Bowl
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 one 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. “Most of the time, my mind was thinking in Knoxville, I can tell you that.”
The way Pruitt handled his divided responsibilities these last few weeks impressed his new boss. Tennessee’s 2018 recruiting class is currently rated 16th by the 247Sports Composite after being ranked outside the top 50 just prior to the December signing period.
“The things I thought about him were validated — how hard a worker he is, how good a communicator he is,” Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer said. “He doesn’t need a whole lot of sleep, I can tell you that.”
COACH OF YEAR: Scott Frost has one final award to share with the University of Central Florida of the American Athletic Conference.
The former UCF coach and new Nebraska boss received the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award on Wednesday night.
“It’s an honor. Obviously, he’s one of the greats,” Frost said about Bryant. “This is a team award. I’m just happy to represent the players and coaches that had such a phenomenal year.”
Frost is the first coach since ex-Boise State’s Chris Petersen in 2009 to win representing a non-Power 5 program.
WYOMING: Former Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen has accepted an invitation to play in this year’s Senior Bowl later the month. The game will be played in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 27. Allen, who graduated in December after completing his junior season at Wyoming in 2017, declared for the 2018 NFL Draft immediately after leading the Cowboys to a 37-14 victory in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
LSU: Leading rusher Derrius Guice says he’s entering the 2018 NFL draft.
Guice rushed for 1,251 yards and 11 touchdowns during the 2017 season, including a season-high 276 yards rushing in a victory at Mississippi. Guice also caught 18 passes for 124 yards and two scores.
ALABAMA: Junior wide receiver Calvin Ridley is entering the NFL draft.
Ridley announced his decision in a Twitter post Wednesday, two days after the Crimson Tide won the second national championship of his three-year career.
Widely projected as a first-round pick, Ridley easily led the Tide in receiving. He had 63 catches for 967 yards while no other wide receiver caught more than 14 balls.