re: Bama fans: Would you want Jeremy Pruitt as your next HC?

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We all know by now that Jeremy Pruitt (UGA DC) is the next hot HC commodity from the ranks of coordinators.

And I already know what most of your initial reactions will be: "Well Paawwwl, I really like Coach Jeremy Pruitt. He's a good, young coach who brings the passion and energy and fields a good defense like we like here on the CAPSTONE. Buuuut Paaaawl, he needs to get some experience as a HC before we hire him to coach our alright TAWD here at BAMA."

I know for any Bama fan over age 20 that hiring a "Bama man and former player" with no previous HC experience might still sound a little too familiar for comfort.

But that's okay, because if Nick Saban coaches out the remainder of his contract, or even another 5 years, then Pruitt has plenty of time to get a HC job and prove he can run a program.

Now, at this point in the thread we are going to take some time to explore if Jeremy Pruitt is really HC material and we might even delve a little bit into the validity of his reputation as an elite defensive coach.

Right off the bat Pruitt has two very important intangibles that objectively should help him to be a better HC.
1. Every job he's had in the last decade he's worked and learned under some of the most successful coaches in the country on their level: Rush Probst, Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, and Mark Richt.
2. He is a proven elite recruiter. You can't be an elite HC in this day without being an elite recruiter. It's almost as important as actual coaching these days.

We have now established Pruitt's extreme success at every coaching stop (4 BCS National Championships, and 2 Alabama 6A state championships). Now let's take a look at his jobs during his success and rise through the ranks over the last decade and try to decide how much of that success was because of Pruitt, or if he just lucked out and was along for the ride at football powerhouses.:

2004-2006, Hoover HS (DB/DC): hired by legendary GOAT high school coach Rush Probst into an already established nationally ranked football powerhouse that had already won back-to-back State Championships. Won another two straight championships with Pruitt on staff (4 in a row for the program) and state runner-up in Pruitt's last season. As DB coach was able to work with such players as Jahi Word-Daniels starting CB Georgia Tech, Joel Caldwell starting CB Vandy, Corey Reamer Safety at Hoover but starting LB at Alabama, Max Lerner starting S Furman.. And as a DC had such talent as Josh Chapman DT Alabama and now Indy Colts, Kerry Murphy 5* DL, Michael Dejohn LB Alabama among others.

2007-2009, Alabama (Director of Player Development)
2010-2012, Alabama (DB): Working under GOAT modern day CFB Nick Saban, who specializes in DBs and is a notorious micro manager (how much control of DBs did Pruitt really have at Bama?) Pruitt was handed DBs such as 1st rounders Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick, and Demarcus Milliner and NFL starter Robert Lester among several other very good SEC players. Given credit at Bama for recruiting 3 five-stars, and 7 four-stars

2013, Florida State (Defensive Coordinator): walked into a National Championship team already loaded with NFL talent on his side of the ball. Already drafted off of FSU's 2013 defense- Lamarcus Joyner, Timmy Jernigan, Terrence Brooks, Telvin Smith, Mario Edwards Jr., Eddie Goldman, Ronald Darby, and PJ Williams.
However in only one year as a Seminole he was credited with the commitments of 2 five-stars, and 2 four-stars on the defensive side of the ball. How much impact did he actually have in one year on those recruits signing? Who knows.
Florida State's defense was already elite before Pruitt in 2012. They were #6 in scoring defense in 2012, and rose to #2 in 2012. In total defense Florida State was #2 in 2012 and #3 in 2013
Did Pruitt really have an impact on an already elite FSU defense?

2014-present, Georgia (Defensive Coordinator): Jeremy Pruitt performed as well as could be hoped for UGA in 2014. He's established himself as an elite recruiting force essentially locking down the Georgia borders for any defensive recruit he wants.
On the coaching side he also vastly improved their defensive performance for top ~60 or ~50 for total and scoring defense to top ~20 for total and scoring defense.
How much of that improvement was actual coaching skill though? He inherited a defense loaded with talent. That defense underperformed in 2012 but in previous years under Grantham performed similarly to Pruitt's first season. It's well known that Grantham was a huge gaping a-hole who's personality by 2012 had caused a divide between Richt and his players, losing his team. In contrast Pruitt is a players coach who knows how to relate to young men. Was his improvent in defensive performance for UGA really X's and O's or was it players just happy to play for their new coach/friend instead of the old a-hole coach?

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