Pruitt praises players’ recruiting efforts

Jeremy Pruitt noticed a change in his Tennessee football team in the past six weeks.

The second-year Vols coach pinpointed when it began during signing day Wednesday night in UT’S student union.

“It started when we were hosting people in recruiting,” Pruitt said. “Guys were volunteering, wanting to host recruits.”

Tennessee has signed the nation’s No. 12 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. The Vols landed a trio of recruits on signing day, highlighted by five-star offensive tackle Darnell Wright and four-star linebacker Henry To’oto’o.

Afterward, Pruitt lauded the work of his staff from top to bottom and praised the coaching staff’s wives for their sacrifices

He then turned his attention to his current roster.

“The best recruiters we will have on our football team and in our program are our players,” Pruitt said. “It’s how they are treated every single day.”

Pruitt highlighted the difference between last year’s recruiting cycle following his hire and his first full cycle, which again focused on the current roster.

At this time a year ago, Pruitt was less than two months into his tenure at Tennessee.

He noted there wasn’t much time to build relationships and trust with the roster.

But the past year has had “a whole lot of feeling-out process,” Pruitt said. The result was a player-aided recruiting class that Pruitt and his coaching staff introduced and praised in front of Tennessee fans.

“I think over the next few years you are going to see the vision of the guys in the last two recruiting cycles (and) the work they have put in,” Pruitt said.