Tennessee hires Alabama’s Pruitt as coach

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Jeremy Pruitt’s mission is to get Tennessee back to the status it enjoyed when his new boss was roaming the sideline.

Pruitt took over as coach Thursday, capping a tumultuous search in which Phillip Fulmer replaced John Currie as athletic director. Tennessee is coming off one of its most disappointing seasons and hasn’t won the Southeastern Conference East since 2007, the year before Fulmer was forced out as coach.

“There was a time and place that this university was feared among the SEC teams,” said Pruitt, who has spent the last two seasons as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. “My goal as the head football coach at the University of Tennessee is to get us back to that point.”

The Vols opened this season in the Top 25 but finished 4-8. On Nov. 12, Butch Jones was fired after going 34-27 in five seasons.

A tumultuous coaching search followed. Currie was close to hiring Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano on Nov. 26 before that deal fell through amid a public backlash. Also linked to the job were Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State and Mike Leach of Washington State, among others.

Pruitt, 43, agreed to a sixyear deal that will pay him $3.8 million annually.

“Your expectations aren’t near what mine are,” Pruitt said. “I’ll tell you right now, my expectations are to win every game we play. That’s the expectation I have.”

He will spend this month working on his new job while also maintaining his status as Alabama’s defensive coordinator through the College Football Playoff.