KNOXVILLE – In the past four weeks, Jeremy Pruitt’s recruiting hasn’t been limited to future players.
It started on the morning of Dec. 19, when the Tennessee football coach found out strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald chose to remain with his program instead of taking an offer from Maryland, giving the Volunteers some stability at that position for the first time in a while.
That same day, the Vols signed 19 prospects, followed by the additions of four-star running back Eric Gray and four-star linebacker Quavaris Crouch, giving Tennessee what’s currently ranked as the 16th-best recruiting class in the country.
But there was a nagging question out there, one that had been lingering since Nov. 27. Who would take over as offensive coordinator? Tyson Helton had been gone since that day, with Western Kentucky tabbing him as the head coach.
Pruitt wasn’t talking about that on Dec. 19.