Report: Jeremy Pruitt Out as Tennessee's Head Coach

Breaking: Jeremy Pruitt Out as Tennessee's Head Coach

Jeremy Pruitt led Tennessee on an eight-game winning streak to close out 2019 and start the 2020 campaign. After starting 2-0, Pruitt was only able to muster up a 3-7 finish, and he suffered multiple double-digit losses during downhill slide.

Now according to Pete Thamel, Jeremy Pruitt is out as Tennessee head coach.

Sources: Tennessee will be parting ways with coach Jeremy Pruitt today. AD Phil Fulmer's future will also be addressed.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 18, 2021

Pruitt's coaching record at Tennessee was 16-19 with losses to Georgia State and BYU on the resume.

Pruitt has been upfront about knowing the business side of things, and he said in his last official press conference, "Absolutely, it is unusual circumstances and nobody knows the circumstances around each individual job. I got a lot of respect for all three of those men. Coaching against them, getting to know them coaching in this league, I think they have done a phenomenal job at the places that they have been. It's really the rough part on this when there is a coaching change. Whether it is somebody leaving or somebody getting another opportunity, the people who suffer are the student-athletes. You build the relationships, you recruit them to come to a certain school. I've had it both ways – I've been fired before and I've had opportunities before. The worst part of it is, in either scenario, the people that you have created these relationships with and built a bond with to come to a certain school – that's the people that suffer in all this."

Pruitt's program has been under investigation for alleged recruiting violations, and they brought in prominent lawyer Mike Glazier to assist with the investigation. Glazier was apart of the team that investigated Bruce Pearl at Tennessee. 

The university issued a statement on that earlier saying, "We take seriously our institutional commitment to NCAA compliance, and are reviewing regulatory issues that have been brought to our attention/ As part of that process, we are currently working with attorneys Kyle Skillman and Michael Glazier with Bond, Schoeneck & King. We will provide additional information when it’s appropriate.” 

The university has yet to release anything official, however, sources have indicated that the investigation was the final straw for Pruitt’s tenure.