UT’s Pruitt disagrees with Saban on SEC transfers

Jeremy Pruitt has been accused of trying too hard to mimic his former boss, Alabama coach Nick Saban, as he begins his tenure as Tennessee’s football coach, but there is one hot topic the two might not agree on.

Saban is opposed to the growing number of players freely transferring from one school to another, especially within the SEC. He has called it “free agency” and says there is no place for it in college athletics.

Pruitt, in town Thursday at the UT All-Sports Picnic at Nissan Stadium, has a different take. And if one player in particular, Alabama offensive lineman Brandon Kennedy, a graduate sophomore, is allowed to leave the Crimson Tide, Pruitt would benefit if he ends up at Tennessee.

Kennedy reportedly wants to transfer to Tennessee or Auburn, but Alabama is trying to block his effort.

Pruitt, who is from Rainsville, Ala., has firsthand experience when it comes to a player transferring from one school to another. He began his playing career as a defensive back at MTSU in 1994 but transferred after his sophomore season and finished at Alabama.

“I played my first two years at Middle Tennessee State,” Pruitt said. “I played for Boots Donnelly. I actually started for him for two years and had a very good experience. Loved the players I played with, loved the coaching staff that I played for. I was not disgruntled. I was happy being at Middle Tennessee.”

Being from Alabama, Pruitt admits he proved himself at MTSU before moving on to the Crimson Tide.

Pruitt said he was grateful he was allowed to transfer and didn’t even have to sit out a year in order to regain his eligibility because MTSU at the time was Division I-AA, the equivalent of today’s FCS.

Pruitt said he was grateful that he was allowed to leave MTSU simply because he had always wanted to to play for the Crimson Tide.

When asked about Kennedy’s desire to leave Alabama, Pruitt said he was not allowed to comment on players who might be transferring.

He did, however, draw back to his personal experience.

“I wanted to go play at a school that I kind of had

always dreamed of playing at,” Pruitt said. “I was allowed to do that. They let me do it. I didn’t sit out. I went and played.”

In Pruitt’s case, everything worked out well, he said. In fact, he was reminded earlier this week that there were no repercussions from his decision to leave MTSU.

“It’s kind of funny, I was getting ready to go to Memphis and Coach Donnelly called me,” Pruitt said. “He told me, ‘I want you to know, I was proud for you when you played for me and I’m proud for you today, and if you need any help, let me know. So I look at it from my circumstance. I’m thankful that he gave me an opportunity to kind of go try fulfill my dreams.”

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.