KNOXVILLE - The number of Tennessee's football recruiting targets tripled within roughly two days after Jeremy Pruitt was hired earlier this month as coach, Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer said.
"He came in and hit the ground running," Fulmer explained during an interview with the SEC Network on Wednesday afternoon.
That work started to pay off on the first day of college football's first early signing period.
Tennessee signed 12 players Wednesday, including five who were not verbally committed to the Volunteers before submitting their national letters of intent. That group was headlined by four-star junior college tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson from Arizona Western College and four-star offensive lineman Jerome Carvin from Cordova High School in Memphis.
"He knew what he wanted, and he put it together really, really quickly," Fulmer said of Pruitt. "As I said, we got in the hunt with a number of guys. Some of that may not come to fruition until February, but we expect to sign 10 to 12 kids today, and maybe four or five of those weren't on our board a week ago."
Wednesday concluded with the Vols on the high end of Fulmer's estimation. Tennessee figures to have at least one more player sign before the early signing period concludes Friday. Four-star receiver Alontae Taylor of Coffee County Central High School had previously indicated he planned to sign with the Volunteers on Wednesday.
Tennessee's full recruiting class won't be assembled until after the traditional signing period, which starts Feb. 7, but Wednesday was a nice start for Pruitt, who had roughly two weeks to recruit for the Vols while also continuing his duties as Alabama's defensive coordinator. Southeastern Conference schools that did not undergo coaching changes signed the majority of their prospects Wednesday.
Pruitt will have several scholarships still available when his duties with Alabama conclude after the College Football Playoff. Fulmer suggested Pruitt's decision to finish the season with Alabama could ultimately benefit the Vols.
"It'll be brought up on national television that he's had the two-time defensive player of the year that he's had the chance to coach, all that the Alabama defenses have accomplished," Fulmer said. "In the long run, I think that'll be good for Tennessee as well."
Wood-Anderson's decision to sign with Tennessee came at Alabama's expense. The Crimson Tide were reportedly the front-runners for the 6-foot-5 tight end, who could become an immediate contributor with the graduation of Ethan Wolf.
Tennessee received more good news from the West Coast on Wednesday when quarterback JT Shrout chose the Vols after decommitting from California on Tuesday. The Vols had two quarterbacks from the class of 2018 committed under former head coach Butch Jones. Both changed their minds, leaving the Vols in need behind center, and Shrout is a three-star prospect but is highly regarded as having the tools to excel at the collegiate level.
The third California signee of the day came in late when junior college defensive end Jordan Allen signed. At 230 pounds, Allen figures to play as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker in Tennessee's 3-4 scheme.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.