Jeremy Pruitt Addresses Jimmy Brumbaugh Situation, Who Will Coach DL for the Rest of the Year

Jeremy Pruitt made a somewhat shocking staff move on Sunday night when Jimmy Brumbaugh was relieved of his duties as Tennessee's defensive line coach. When that happens, rumors start to swirl, and Pruitt addressed them during his Monday press conference. 

Pruitt said, "Yesterday, I decided to make a change at the D-line position. Coach Brumbaugh done a really nice job for us. He worked his tail off. Sometimes from a philosophical standpoint, things are just not a fit, and it just did not work out for us, so I decided to do that. I'm going to coach the defensive line for the rest of the season."

Pruitt was questioned about how it would interfere with his ability as a head coach, and he responded, "I've been bouncing around helping a lot of different positions this entire camp. Just really from a standpoint of because it's not been a normal camp, or a normal season. We've had guys in and out, and trying to figure out, just, for instance, Morven Joseph, right? So, Morven Joseph worked at inside linebacker last night. He’s still going to rush the quarterback on third down some, but if this would have been a normal camp, he would have already done that."

The timing of Brumbaugh's departure is what has been the most surprising to many, as he was relieved of his duties just four games into his first season.

Pruitt was asked about the timing of the situation and he said, "If it's not working out, it's better just to do it right now. (We) had a really good conversation, and unfortunately, probably because of the COVID circumstance, when you're a new coach, and you don't have a chance to be around your players from March, April, May, and then limited in June, it puts you at a disadvantage. This is no knock on Jimmy as a coach whatsoever. He is one of the most knowledgeable guys I've been around, and he'll do a good job wherever he goes. It’s just something that I felt like that we needed to do, and we did it."

Pruitt and Tennessee are scheduled to host Alabama at 3:30 ET on Saturday.