The Pruitt Effect (From 247)

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And then there’s Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.

“He’s both,” senior linebacker Ramik Wilson said. “He’s one of the smartest coaches I’ve ever seen.”

Last January, Georgia hired a national championship defensive coordinator away from Florida State to replace Todd Grantham. It was viewed as a home run at the time, despite Pruitt’s relative lack of experience as a college coordinator. That’s because Pruitt did it in his first shot. He helped the Seminoles to an unbeaten season and BCS title game win over Auburn.

This was a championship built on defense, as Florida State ranked first in the country in passing yards allowed (156.6 yards per game) and scoring defense (12.1 points per game), second nationally in pass efficiency defense, third in turnover margin and eighth in rushing defense (124.8 ypg).

The year prior to that, Pruitt was defensive backs coach on a staff at Alabama that won the 2012 BCS title. And the year before that, Alabama won it in 2011 as well, with defensive keying that run as well.

The past three national championships were represented in the new coordinator on Georgia’s staff, a guy whose pedigree was with high schools prior to joining Nick Saban’s support staff at Alabama from a powerhouse program at Hoover (Ala.) High School.

“He’s got a unique style about him,” said UGA inside linebackers coach Mike Ekeler, who is in his first season with Pruitt. “He’s got a unique background with the people he’s learned under, and he’s extremely intelligent. So he’s got a great package. He really understands the kids well. He’s really fiery. He’s very detailed-oriented.”

So after one regular season what has this meant for Georgia?

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While the Bulldogs fell short of that this season, the immediate results from this defense have been remarkable, especially when paired with the background of obstacles that had to be overcome to get there.

Once in Athens, Pruitt inherited experience in the front seven but some issues in the secondary, which was his own area of the defense, the positions he coached personally. Yet attrition among the Bulldogs’ defensive backs predated Pruitt’s arrival – going back years -- and continued under his watch.

Josh Harvey-Clemons was dismissed. So was Tray Matthews and later Sheldon Dawson and freshman Shaq Jones. Shaq Wiggins chose to transfer after spring practice. Part of this can be described as a culture change under a new defensive staff, but then UGA also had the misfortune of promising freshman Rico Johnson being medically disqualified by a nerve condition and JUCO transfer Shattle Fenteng requiring a season-ending shoulder surgery after barely playing this season. And this isn’t the entire list.

Pruitt wound up relying heavily on a true freshmen – one that he scouted and signed on short notice – in safety Dominick Sanders. At cornerback, there were key snaps for a seldom-used veteran in Devin Bowman and a freshman walk-on Aaron Davis. Another freshman – Malkom Parrish – saw increasing snaps as the season progressed.

And despite all that there is this:

Georgia’s defense currently ranks No. 2 nationally in pass yards allowed per game.

Yes – SECOND – in the FBS.

The Bulldogs have allowed 158.4 passing yards per game. That is exactly 69 yards fewer per game than in 2013, the difference between ranking 60th nationally last season and second now.

That was hardly the lone improvement statistically. While Georgia did dip from 41st to 77th nationally against the run in 2014, pretty much every other area showcased improvement – in some cases dramatic improvement -- in the numbers, including total defense (45th in 2013 to 20th in 2014), scoring defense (78th to 25th), pass efficiency defense (84th to 11th), red zone defense (86th to 35th) and perhaps the biggest improvement of all in that Georgia is now fourth nationally in turnover margin. The Bulldogs were 102nd in turnover margin last season.

Recruiting-wise, the Bulldogs are building one of the nation’s top classes in 2015, currently ranking third in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

The two schools ahead of Georgia in that? Alabama and Florida State, who each happen to have been selected to the four-team playoff that will decide this year’s national champion.

Though FSU’s defensive numbers have dipped since Pruitt’s departure (total defense now 51st from 3rd), the Seminoles have continued to win, as have the Crimson Tide.

So as Georgia fans enter the cold months of winter, looking already to a new season that seems too far away, they can be warmed by these trends and the words of departing seniors on the Bulldogs’ current defense.

“Those guys next year,” senior linebacker Amarlo Herrera said, “they're probably going to be way better than we are this year, because they've had time to develop under (Pruitt)’s system.”

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