JEREMY PRUITT TIMELINE
DECEMBER 7, 2017
Jeremy Pruitt is introduced as Tennessee’s 26th head football coach following a calamitous search that begins with John Currie as Volunteers athletic director and ends with Phillip Fulmer as AD and making the hire.
JANUARY 8, 2018
After returning to Alabama to finish his stint as defensive coordinator, Pruitt helps the Crimson Tide win their fifth national championship of the Nick Saban era with a 26-23 overtime topping of Georgia.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2018
The Pruitt era for the Vols opens with a 40-14 loss to No. 17 West Virginia at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
OCTOBER 13, 2018
With a 2-3 start that includes 26-point losses to West Virginia, Florida and Georgia, the Vols collect the biggest upset of Pruitt’s three seasons, stunning No. 21 Auburn 30-24 inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.
NOV. 24, 2018
Tennessee’s hopes of a bowl invitation in Pruitt’s debut year are shattered in a 38-13 loss at Vanderbilt, the program’s third consecutive defeat against Derek Mason’s Commodores. The Vols finish the season with a 5-7 mark.
FEB. 6, 2019
The Vols sign the nation’s No. 13 recruiting class, which has the makings of the foundation for the Pruitt era. The crop is headed by five-star offensive tackles Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright, four-star running back Eric Gray and four-star linebacker Henry To’o To’o.
AUG. 31, 2019
Tennessee opens Pruitt’s second season with a 38-30 loss to Georgia State in Neyland Stadium, the most embarrassing defeat in program history given that the Sun Belt’s Panthers were coming off a 2-10 year.
OCT. 19, 2019
ESPN cameras catch Pruitt grabbing the facemask of quarterback Jarrett Guarantano to get his attention following a Guarantano fumble at the Alabama goal line that resulted in a 100-yard score for the Crimson Tide.
JAN. 2, 2020
Tennessee completes a six-game winning streak and caps an 8-5 season with a 23-22 comeback triumph over Indiana in the Gator Bowl.
OCT. 3, 2020
It’s the high-water mark of the Pruitt era, as a 35-12 whipping of Missouri inside Neyland Stadium results in an eight-game winning streak dating back to the previous year and a No. 14 ranking in the Associated Press poll.
OCT. 17, 2020
With an abrupt crash, Pruitt’s program is thrown into complete disarray during a 34-7 loss to visiting Kentucky, a team that had not won in Knoxville since 1984. Pruitt fires defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh the next day and takes over Brumbaugh’s duties.
DEC. 5, 2020
Tennessee loses to Florida 31-19, dropping Pruitt to 0-9 against Alabama, Florida and Georgia with nine double-digit defeats. It also marks the sixth straight loss for the Vols following a 2-0 start.
DEC. 19, 2020
Reports surface of an internal investigation into compliance concerns within the program. Following a 3413 loss to Texas A&M that saddled the Vols with a 3-7 record, Pruitt was asked about the investigation and said, “Anytime in college football or college athletics, you have typical compliance stuff, and that’s all I know.”
DEC. 21, 2020
A day after getting invited to the Liberty Bowl, the Vols pull out of the matchup with West Virginia due to multiple positive COVID tests, including Pruitt.
JAN. 18, 2021
Pruitt is fired for cause after the investigation determined that violations occurred and were concealed. His final record was 16-19. Outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton and inside linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer are also terminated as a result of Tennessee’s findings.