Following an internal inquiry, Jeremy Pruitt was sacked as Tennessee’s football coach for reason.
Jeremy Pruitt’s career as the football coach at Tennessee is coming to an end, capping one of the worst in program history.
According to Pruitt’s termination letter, which Knox News was able to get, he was fired on Monday for reason following an investigation that revealed several infractions of NCAA recruiting standards at the Level I and Level II when he was in charge. The letter lists six fire-for-cause clauses that Pruitt broke.The university will not cover his $12.6 million buyout as part of the for-cause termination.
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Pruitt left a program that is still being looked into after just three seasons.
In addition, following UT’s appointment of an AD to take his place, athletics director Phillip Fulmer will resign. Fulmer wants the next football coach to be chosen by his replacement. Fulmer chose to resign, and the probe has nothing to do with his leaving.
Donde Plowman, the chancellor of UT, stated during a press conference on Monday, “Our goal is to have an athletic director in place as quickly as feasible.”
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In addition, Tennessee fired seven members of the football program’s recruiting and support staff on Monday, along with assistant coaches Brian Niedermeyer and Shelton Felton, for cause.
The university will not provide Pruitt any of his $12.6 million buyout or buyouts to Niedermeyer or Felton as a result of his for-cause termination. As at-will workers, the other employees were not eligible for severance pay.
The interim head coach for Tennessee will be Kevin Steele.Steele, a UT graduate and former Vols assistant who played for Johnny Majors for two seasons, was hired by the Vols on Tuesday to serve as a defensive assistant. In addition to serving as defensive coordinator at four SEC schools—most recently Auburn—Steeve coached Baylor from 1999 to 2002.
JEREMY PRUITT’S RESPONSE: According to the coach’s attorney, Tennessee organized the firing.
The university is currently looking into claims of recruiting breaches pertaining to the football program, which is why Pruitt was fired. Attorneys Kyle Skillman and Mike Glazier were hired by the university to help with the inquiry. The Kansas-based attorneys are regarded as authorities when it comes to defending colleges in inquiries concerning college athletics.
Pruitt was given a contract extension by Tennessee less than four months ago, which includes an increase in buyout and a raise starting this year. His contract expired on January 31, 2026.
Pruitt, 46, had a 16–19 record overall, with a 3–7 record in 2020 while playing solely in conferences.
Pruitt’s overall winning % is higher than that of only two Tennessee coaches since World War I: W.H. Britton and Derek Dooley. In his one season (1935), Britton finished 4-5, whereas Dooley finished 15-21 in 2010–12.
There are more than thirty fire-for-cause clauses in Pruitt’s contract. He may be fired for cause, among other reasons, if he participated in behavior that the NCAA finds to be a Level I or Level II rule violation, or if someone who works for Pruitt engaged in behavior that violates the rules at either level or is likely to do so, and the university finds Pruitt was careless in his oversight or did not take reasonable precautionary steps to comply.
He may also be fired for cause if he doesn’t uphold and encourage compliance or doesn’t keep an eye on the workers under his supervision.
Pruitt shown weaknesses in his role as a program CEO, while being a successful defensive coordinator at Florida State, Georgia, and Alabama. This was his first chance to be a head coach at any level.
During his tenure, Tennessee’s offense was among the weakest in the SEC, and Pruitt and his staff were unable to produce quarterbacks.
Pruitt has a record of 0–9 against Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, with eight of those defeats coming by margins of more than 20 points. In October, he faced backlash for saying, after the Vols lost to Alabama by 31 points, that they were getting closer to the Crimson Tide.
Losses in games that Tennessee was predicted to win were equally devastating.
Georgia State, a 26-point underdog from the Sun Belt Conference that finished 2-10 the previous year and was paid $950,000 to compete in the game, defeated the Vols 38-30 to start the 2019 campaign. The season has started 2–5 with the loss.
The Vols’ 34-7 loss to Kentucky on October 17 marked the beginning of Pruitt’s problems in 2020. The game included four turnovers by the Vols, including two interceptions that were returned for scores. It was the first time Tennessee had lost to the Wildcats at home since 1984.
Pruitt also lost this season to Arkansas and its first-year coach, Sam Pittman, and to Vanderbilt in the 2018 season finale, which kept Tennessee from qualifying for a bowl game.
Pruitt also had a couple successful seasons for the Vols. In his first season, they defeated Kentucky and Auburn, two ranked opponents. Throughout his career, those would be his only triumphs over opponents ranked in the Top 25.
In the Gator Bowl, Tennessee triumphed 23–22 over Indiana to finish the 2019 season, and two days prior to the 2019 season began, UT revealed Pruitt’s contract renewal.
In a press release announcing the agreement, Fulmer stated, “I’m excited that this contract allows Jeremy the runway to continue to build on the momentum and excitement we have surrounding our football program coming out of last season.”
“At the beginning of only his third year, he has made great progress and is well aware that there is still much work to be done. This extension demonstrates our dedication to him, his staff, this team, and the future of the Tennessee Volunteers while ensuring he can keep up his efforts to lead our program back to a championship level.
After beginning the season 2-0, Tennessee held the longest winning run in the SEC as of early October, with eight games remaining. The Vols were ranked No. 12 in the country going into their game against Georgia on October 10. They led 21-17 at the half and then collapsed to lose 44-21.
That began a losing run of six games, which was tied for the longest in program history.
Since Tennessee fired Fulmer, Butch Jones is the only coach to have led the team for more than three seasons. Following the 2009 season, Lane Kiffin left Southern California. During his third season, Dooley was let go. During his fifth season, Jones was let go.
