Jeremy Pruitt’s heartfelt statement proves again he’s the right man for the job at Tennessee

Tennessee beat South Carolina 31-27 on Saturday night in Columbia.

The win was a major statement for the Vols, who are now in Year 3 of the Jeremy Pruitt era at Tennessee.

Pruitt is now 14-12 in his UT career, and before his team’s South Carolina matchup, the former Alabama defensive coordinator signed a two-year extension at Tennessee that guarantees his contract through the 2025 season.

At times, Pruitt’s time in Knoxville has been frustrating. At others, it’s been refreshing, especially with the Vols now on a seven-game win streak — good for longest in the SEC.

But in his time on Rocky Top, we’ve seen Jeremy Pruitt do more than just coach football.

He’s also grown in his development of young men, something that has never been more evident than this offseason.

With social justice campaigns across every college campus in the country and the coronavirus pandemic raging throughout the world, Pruitt has stood by his players in every facet of life.

He marched with them through the streets of Knoxville after George Floyd was shot in Minneapolis, and he commended their discipline in dealing with COVID-19 protocols in hopes of having a football season.

So on Saturday night in Columbia, the Vols’ first game of the season was about more than just football. It was a pivotal stop in a road marred by uncertainty.

Pruitt noted as much.

“I’m tickled to death that we won,” Pruitt said. “But, first off, I want to compliment the way South Carolina played and competed. They never quit. It’s just that the ball bounced our way a couple of times. It’s a shame with all these young men are going through that there has to be a winner and loser. By everybody getting to play tonight, absolutely was a win for some of these guys, and I’m glad we had a chance to do that.”

“I’m proud of our players; I’m proud of our staff and everybody in our organization,” he continued. “When you start thinking about what all these young men at every college has done since March... when they came back they were facing something we knew nothing about. The courage that it took for these young men to come back not knowing what tomorrow holds.”

“When you look at the social injustice that runs across our country, to see the courage that players on our team, the players on other teams, it’s inspiring to me, this generation of young men and women that are really fighting the fight,” Pruitt also noted.

“It’s encouraging for the future of our country, to me,” he said. “I can’t say how proud I am of our players, the other players across the country for what they’ve been going through.”

If those words don’t prove Pruitt’s worth as a “players’ coach,” nothing ever will.

The Vols’ head man also went into more specifics on COVID-19 testing in college football, praising players across the nation for the commitment they’ve shown to play a game we all love.

“You look at these young men right now; they’re having to take tests three days a week,” Pruitt said. “When you witness it, they’re taking these tests with very high anxiety. They’re not living the normal life they did, like the rest of the did when we were in college. They sit in their rooms, quarantining themselves so they don’t put themselves at risk. The sacrifices that they’re taking. It’s really inspiring to see the courage and the willingness and how important this stuff is to all these players.”

Finally, Pruitt touched on a subject rarely crossed in college athletics, or in sports in general: mental health.

There remains a stigma around those words in this nation. There shouldn’t be one, but there is.

For his part, Pruitt wiped that stigma away.

“The last thing, and there’s no way to measure it, is the mental health piece,” Pruitt said. “When you’re set in your room not doing what you’d normally do when you’re in college or high school, trying to quarantine, there’s not a whole lot to do. The sacrifices that all these young men and women are making right now to have the opportunity to play says a whole lot about them. It’s been inspiring to watch.”

Pruitt’s statements were a testament to his team. And give more credit to the players than anyone else — they’re the ones making the sacrifices Pruitt mentioned.

But the Vols’ leader has proven time and time again that this job is about much more than football to him. He’s said several times in the past two years that he got into the coaching profession to work with young people, and that holds true today.

Sure, there are frustrations on the field. There are missed calls. There are blown assignments.

As Pruitt said about long snapper Will Albright, “everyone makes mistakes.”

Tennessee’s coaches and players typically do a good job of acknowledging them.

Forget the missed calls for a second, though. Forget the blown assignments.

Remember that Tennessee football finally took place last night, but cherish that the Vols also have a leader who knows it’s about much more than a final score.

And in a year of total uncertainty, that’s a very valuable thing, indeed.