"I feel like I fit in well with the people of Tennessee," he said. "Most important thing is that I understand the expectations."
Those expectations are all over the map for the Vols, judging from the 400 or so folks who ignored early threatening weather to see and hear from their UT coaching heroes. At least one fan asked Pruitt what it would take to beat Alabama, which has rolled over the Vols for 11 straight seasons. That same fan wondered when UT might return to the SEC title game, or win another national championship, as it last did under Fulmer in 1998.
With wisdom belying his first season as a head coach on any level, Pruitt replied, "I hope we have bigger goals than just beating one team (Bama). We want to get to the point where everyone is worried about beating Tennessee."
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Cindy Coleman brought her 8-year-old son Jacob down from Cleveland, Tenn., to meet Pruitt.
"It was so awesome," she said of the autographs the two collected. "(Pruitt's) cool, but he's tough. I think I was more excited than the kids."
Here's cool: When Bob Kesling asked Pruitt about his father bringing out the best in him, Prutt replied, "My mom got the best out of me."
Here's tough: In discussing this coming season's potential stars, Pruitt said: "There's some guys who've played a lot of football for Tennessee who may not get to play much this year."