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.
"I would really like to focus on recruiting right now," Pruitt said then. "In a lot of aspects, the offensive coordinator is overrated. Look at some of these teams out here: It is mostly based on talent or lack thereof. The most important thing right now is recruiting, and we'll worry about that later."
There were reports concerning certain candidates and their interest - or lack thereof. Speculation ran rampant that Pruitt was going to hire internally, but that quieted down Jan. 8, when Tennessee announced it had pried Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney away from Athens to accept the same position in Knoxville.
Chaney, who coached at Tennessee under Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley from 2009 to 2012, directed a Bulldogs offense that averaged 464.9 yards and 37.9 points per game this past season. His offensive approach was ideal for what Pruitt wanted, because the Bulldogs have had two 1,000-yard rushers and a 2,500-yard passer each of the past two seasons.
Although Pruitt's latest reported move hasn't been made official, it has been widely lauded. Tee Martin, quarterback of the Tennessee national championship team in 1998, has taken a position with his alma mater's offensive coaching staff. His exact position isn't known yet, and it would take a coach currently on staff to leave for an on-field position to be available for Martin, who most recently served as the offensive coordinator and receivers coach at Southern California.
The speculation about an assistant leaving nearly was cleared up Thursday, but that has not happened. Tennessee fought off Maryland a second time to keep a coach, with safeties coach Charles Kelly reportedly being offered the defensive coordinator position with the Terrapins on Wednesday but turning it down.
Whether Tennessee wins on the field this coming season remains to be seen, but Pruitt clearly has had a winning offseason.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.