KNOXVILLE – Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt won the offseason with recruiting and staff moves.
The next step in winning on the field starts Thursday.
After going 5-7 in 2018, Pruitt’s first season, the Volunteers will begin their spring with the first of 15 practices. They will practice five times before taking March 18-22 off for spring break, then have nine more practices before the Orange and White spring game April 13 at Neyland Stadium.
Since a disappointing 38-13 loss at Vanderbilt to end the season, Pruitt has replaced his offensive coordinator, tabbing former Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney to replace Tyson Helton, who left to become head coach at Western Kentucky. Pruitt also hired former Vols standout Tee Martin, the quarterback of the 1998 national championship team, to become wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator. And he plucked Derrick Ansley away from his position as secondary coach with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders to become the Vols’ defensive coordinator.
On top of that, Pruitt brought in a top-level recruiting class ranked in the top 12 in the country by all major publications.