Recruiting Forum Football Talk III

[BigSteve09]

someone please shop a Vols sweatshirt on him

 

[Volsfaninva917]

"One day after meeting with compliance and the outside counsel about the internal investigation, Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt is on his way to California to meet with standout linebacker Henry To’oto’o and his family.

Pruitt is joined on the trip west by defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley, Tennessee Player Development Assistant Kevin Simon and sources say they are picking up new defensive assistant Kevin Steele on the way to the west coach. Simon is a De La Salle alum which is where To'oto'o played and Simon was a key factor in To'oto'o selecting the Vols."

- Hubbs and AP

You mean AP

AP is to Pruitt as Mike Griffith was to Butch Jones

 

[volbeast33]

That 8 game winning streak set us back years. We scrapped by bad South Carolina teams twice, needed a goal line stand vs UK. Beat Mizzou twice, the first time barely getting by a team whose coach was fired a couple of weeks later. We got lucky to beat Indiana playing their backup QB and beat UAB and Vandy. Hell of a winning steak there.

The other wins to round out our 8 win season were Chattanooga and Miss St, who also fired their coach.

That’s what happens when you have the biggest rebuild the university has faced since the 1970’s..... you have to flip that roster..... no one has patience any more..... I’m good with replacing him depending on who we get but we will stay in the same position as we are now if we don’t allow the next coach to rebuild us.

 

[SLICKYINC]

This prolonged investigation is on the Chancellor. She wanted to bring in outside counsel; she wanted to dig deeper and uncover everything. She wants to run the program by the book. The "right way." In the SEC. While UT tries to compete with Bama, UGA, UF, Auburn, LSU, aTm, etc., etc.

Which was all good until the leaks started.

 

[jp1]

No but I'll await official word, something isn't right and I don't believe anyone. I'm still under the belief that you don't pull that law firm in here to investigate, pay them 500K just to clear a sub .500 coach. Not to mention all his assistants are jumping ship

Which assistants are jumping ship?

 

[hotcypress]

From Pruitt's perspective, would you want to continue to coach here after having undergone such a public investigation, especially if you believed it was motivated by a desire to get rid of you? I'm not saying that would be enough to make him want to leave right now and give up the money he's owed, but wouldn't that make you have your bags packed looking for something better?

Even if he has a successful next season, why would he want to commit long term to Tennessee if they've treated him this way?

Even if this investigation doesn't bring up enough bad conduct to put Jeremy in the crosshairs of the NCAA, the wake of its damage among important relationships internally could make this a toxic environment. That's why I lean more towards him leaving via settled buyout. If you think of all the interpersonal dynamics at play, it doesn't make sense to continue.

We're Tennessee and we're rightly known for our internal volatility, but I'm not sure we'll have dealt with something as tense as a 4th season of Pruitt. Not since Fulmer's last season as coach, at least.

 

[BeecherVol]

I am getting my information from media and administration people, which lends credence to your idea it is more of a "feel" thing than anything substantial, maybe.

But I'll stand by it: no decision has been made either way to this point, but I think he is still going to be fired at the end of this.

If theres one thing that doesnt add up to me, its the idea that Pruitt "is just doing his job" while he knows he's gone and UT is trying to get out of paying him the buyout. Theres a small few who have the best feel for what the end will look like. Pruitt and Phil would be 2 of them. I cant see Pruitt going to too much trouble to convince kids to stay and play for somebody else while he walks away. He obviously feels like somebody is fighting with him and not against him.

I agree that may change, and if I was leaning one way or the other it would be UT moving on without him. But its not overwhelming

 

[VolNRaleighNC]

it is possible that if you happen to believe that pruitt did reach out to Steele, and wanted to bring him in any capacity to help right the ship, be it on his staff or as part of a transition, it really could be that pruitt is going out there to tell HT himself what's going on, here's the plan, this is the "new" guy, you can trust him etc.....

i don't know that i'd believe it if someone were telling me this as if it were a strategy, but knowing pruitt's history for being a "players" coach, i don't know that i'd be shocked to find out that he is assisting with the transition, especially if it's transitioning to a known friend, in Steele.

at the end of the day, it makes way more sense that they're going out there together to lay out the plan going forward with him, steele and ansley still leading the program.....

I can buy this as well.

 

[05_never_again]

Basilio still saying his gone says after what he's heard he's up from%90 his gone to 95

Tony's gonna be wrong on this one. He's sticking with his guns, which is good in some circumstances, but in this case I don't think he's changing his opinion in response to new information.

There is no way, no way, that Pruitt would be allowed to fly across the country to meet with a current player if UT was seriously thinking about firing him.

 

[rekinhavoc]

Tony B basically saying that Pruitt is going out to Cali, gonna lie to Henry T's face about coming back in the name of doing his job, and that's that.

I sincerely doubt that. I don't know why he would want to do that. But I really don't know why anyone in the AD would want him to do that. If he talks to Henry and you fire him a day later, that is completely counter productive.

Maybe he went rogue ala Bahama John.

We should flight track to see if it turns around half way there.

 

[Weezer]

I also find it incredibly strange that the the Vols would give this much attention to one kid who hasn't even entered the Portal yet.

Seems like a very grand gesture.

Tells me he's definitely considering entering the portal and has expressed that to the staff. He may have had some struggles at times this past season, but he's still our best defensive player. They're trying to keep him here.

 

[SpringBokVol]

Tony B basically saying that Pruitt is going out to Cali, gonna lie to Henry T's face about coming back in the name of doing his job, and that's that.

I sincerely doubt that. I don't know why he would want to do that. But I really don't know why anyone in the AD would want him to do that. If he talks to Henry and you fire him a day later, that is completely counter productive.

I really hope that is not the case - the lying part. That would just be deplorable.

 

[jordan4vols]

If you’re back why don’t you just call him and tell him hey I’m safe we’ll see you at spring practice

 

[LA Vol]

I also find it incredibly strange that the the Vols would give this much attention to one kid who hasn't even entered the Portal yet.

Seems like a very grand gesture.

Because he's a domino. When a team leader goes, others follow. And it's time-critical.

 

[NoogaVol96]

Do you think Pruitt and the boys are flying out on their own dime? No, they are on a university owned plane and if he was getting fired there is no way in hell they let him fly on UT's dime to sway him into staying.

Do you really think they aren’t going to approve sending coaches to sway arguably the best player on our defense to stay? I get your thought process on this but again, this is his job until it isn’t. Flying a plane out to Cali and back isn’t going to break that bank and we all know that. I want him gone just like the rest of us but an approved flight to Cali doesn’t signify anything about Pruitts future here.

 

[434VOL]

Siap hubbs:

I'm not saying he's back till the Chancellor tells me he's back.

Pruitt went and saw Crouch and Morris before ever meeting with investigators. This trip to California was scheduled before Pruitt's meeting yesterday.

So we still don't know what the investigation is going to turn up with Pruitt. I think this is the chancellor's call and I would say she's going to be getting the findings report from the Glazier group in the next day or so.

 

[tn88volfan]

It’s all Freak’s fault, he is the one that started this new thread.

 

[vol494]

Because he's a domino. When a team leader goes, others follow. And it's time-critical.

LA, they could’ve saved gas and time and let you go talk to him.

 

[SpringBokVol]

Tony's gonna be wrong on this one. He's sticking with his guns, which is good in some circumstances, but in this case I don't think he's changing his opinion in response to new information.

There is no way, no way, that Pruitt would be allowed to fly across the country to meet with a current player if UT was seriously thinking about firing him.

the other way to think about that is:

The is ZERO % chance that if the investigation found anything damaging on Pruitt - enough to fire with cause or negotiate buyout - that would or even could allow him to fly to meet with a current student athlete.

That would scream lack of institutional control.

 

[JoeyVols32]

After 30 years of season tickets in my family, we will not be renewing them this year after all of this. The AD has made it clear they care nothing about winning, so I refuse to give another dime. I will always be a fan and will always hope the best for UT, but I can no longer support the incompetence. I never thought this day would come. Sad times

 

[ACvol3]

I also find it incredibly strange that the the Vols would give this much attention to one kid who hasn't even entered the Portal yet.

Seems like a very grand gesture.

He’s a good player, but it’s s not the end of the world if we lose him either. He’s good, but he has plenty of things he needs to work on

 

[SpringBokVol]

If you’re back why don’t you just call him and tell him hey I’m safe we’ll see you at spring practice

Because in the SEC, meeting face to face just Means More.

 

[05_never_again]

the other way to think about that is:

The is ZERO % chance that if the investigation found anything damaging on Pruitt - enough to fire with cause or negotiate buyout - that would or even could allow him to fly to meet with a current student athlete.

That would scream lack of institutional control.

Yep.

This strongly seems to indicate that the investigation, even though they brought in Michael "Kiss of Death" Glazier, was probably a big nothingburger.

 

[volbeast33]

Siap hubbs:

I'm not saying he's back till the Chancellor tells me he's back.

Pruitt went and saw Crouch and Morris before ever meeting with investigators. This trip to California was scheduled before Pruitt's meeting yesterday.

So we still don't know what the investigation is going to turn up with Pruitt. I think this is the chancellor's call and I would say she's going to be getting the findings report from the Glazier group in the next day or so.

Why can’t tennessee behave like other schools..... we are always a complicated mess.

 

[BeecherVol]

Tony B basically saying that Pruitt is going out to Cali, gonna lie to Henry T's face about coming back in the name of doing his job, and that's that.

I sincerely doubt that. I don't know why he would want to do that. But I really don't know why anyone in the AD would want him to do that. If he talks to Henry and you fire him a day later, that is completely counter productive.

Exactly.
What purpose does that serve for Pruitt?

If Steele was headed out there with Simon, it would look a lot different.