Alabama football coach Nick Saban always talks about “the process” when molding Crimson Tide teams, but there was no process to last Friday’s hiring of Jeremy Pruitt as his new defensive coordinator.
Saban called it a “no-brainer” following Wednesday’s practice and bristled at a reporter who asked him to elaborate on how the hire transpired. Pruitt was Alabama’s director of player development from 2007 to 09 and its secondary coach from 2010 to 12 before spending the 2013 season as Florida State’s defensive coordinator.
Pruitt worked these past two years as defensive coordinator at Georgia.
“When it’s a no-brainer, I don’t know that there is a process,” Saban said. “What does ‘no-brainer’ mean to you? I’ll define it – there was no doubt about who I was going to hire. I didn’t interview anybody. I didn’t talk to anybody. I just hired the guy.
“He worked here for six years. Maybe I should have called some people to find out how good he was and get some recommendations.”
Pruitt is observing practices in Tuscaloosa but is not allowed to coach for the Crimson Tide, who have a New Year’s Eve date with Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl. Should Alabama defeat the Spartans, the Crimson Tide would play the Clemson-Oklahoma winner for the national championship, which is being held in Arizona.
The Crimson Tide held their first of seven on-campus practices Wednesday, working out indoors. The defense was guided by Kirby Smart, who returned to Tuscaloosa on Tuesday after spending a week on the recruiting trail as Georgia’s new head coach.
“It speaks volumes for Kirby’s character and all that he has to want to come back and finish when it may not be the most advantageous thing for him and his future,” Saban said. “He’s doing right by the players to come back and finish and do a good job for the guys who have worked hard for him.”
Alabama has not been lacking recently for player awards, including Derrick Henry’s winning of the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, and the Crimson Tide on Wednesday received another honor. In a surprise presentation in Tuscaloosa, the Joe Moore Foundation for Teamwork handed Alabama the inaugural Joe Moore Award as college football’s most outstanding offensive line.
Those recognized were offensive line coach Mario Cristobal, left tackle Cam Robinson, left guard Ross Piercshbacher, center Ryan Kelly, right guard Alphonse Taylor and right tackle Dominick Jackson.
“It’s always great to see players get recognized for their performance and leadership, but I thought it was something special that the offensive line got the first annual Joe Moore Award,” Saban said. “Joe Moore was a legendary offensive line coach at Pitt and Notre Dame. Our players were really excited, because this is a group award.”
Alabama’s line helped pave the way for Henry, who has set a Southeastern Conference single-season record with 1,986 yards. The Crimson Tide, despite having three new starters up front to begin the year, rank fourth nationally in time of possession at 33:52 per game.
“Consistency in performance was the issue in the first half of the season with our offensive line,” Saban said. “From the bye week on and the LSU game on, they probably played their best, and I think they made steady progress throughout the season. Early on, we had a lot of negative plays and missed assignments, but we started to minimize that.
“Their confidence in each other grew, and the improvement they made was certainly a key to our success.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.