Gut feeling on Pruitt?

[JettVol]

Seems to be no nonsense, no coach speak in him. He will be truthful with the players he coaches and recruits. Cautiously optimistic.

 

[BeardedVol]

I have a feeling Pruitt is going to make us all realize that Butch was an even worse coach than some of us thought.

 

[UTChicagoV]

Already knew he has a grasp on the Xs & Os. Was great to hear him talk about his formations and strategy being fluid to ensure the best players are on the field (we all know how rigid the last HC was).

Glad to hear him shoot straight with no cliches.

The commitment to Players was great to see (will win over many parents). Not a guy that will be throwing players under the bus to make up for his shortcomings.

All in all, I think we got a good one.

 

[DenverVol01]

I realize this is sorta a rebuild. With that being said I will be happy as long as there is improvement each year with the end goal of getting to ATL and a possible playoff spot.

I wonder how much of a rebuild it is? Honest question. If CJP can get a top notch strength and conditioning coach that can keep us healthy, I honestly think there's some good talent on the roster. They just need to stay healthy and be coached up.

 

[perico]

My gut feeling? He’ll be very successful here and leave after 4 years for Bama. People need to prepare themselves for it. We’re lucky to have him right now, but this isn’t his final destination or dream job.

I think of it as a compliment. It means his work here will be done.

 

[VolAmerican]

This may be overly optimistic, but I think we come out a much improved team next year. I believe we will see much more discipline, and a similar rise and improvement that the basketball team has shown under Barnes. Unlike the previous two coaches we had, Pruitt knows what it takes to win in the SEC.

 

[Vol4Life2289]

My gut feeling is that this is going to turn out to be a great hire. He has learned from some of the best, and I think he is ready for this opportunity. If he is so successful that he ends up leaving UT for ALA, then so be it. That just means that UT will be in a much better spot than it is right now. Who knows, by that point, Tee may have a few years of being a HC under his belt and may be ready to take over here.

 

[UTChicagoV]

Gut: he should be able to do good here.


Fact: As soon as Saban retires we're doing another coaching search.

You mean like how Tee came back to Knoxville?

Some of you make out where a Coach played to be some sort of magic magnet when it isn't.

He'll do what's best for him when that time comes, but if he's rebuilt the Vols (and there are no power struggles internally), I doubt he'd make that move. Similar to how I don't think Dabo makes the move from Clemson.

 

[UTChicagoV]

I wonder how much of a rebuild it is? Honest question. If CJP can get a top notch strength and conditioning coach that can keep us healthy, I honestly think there's some good talent on the roster. They just need to stay healthy and be coached up.

You are right in that there is a considerable amount of talent already on the squad (2017 College Football Team Talent Composite). If Pruitt can salvage the 2018 class, I think the rebuild is more of a revamp and we'll be very competitive come 2019 after a solid year in 2018.

 

[volcop1]

If us fans can temper our expectations for the first 2 years then I think years 3-4 could be great with an amazing year 5 to cap it off. And if he ends up being the second coming of Saban we could see immediate results.

we have to be bowl eligable next year for me to be ok with him

 

[volcop1]

My gut feeling? He’ll be very successful here and leave after 4 years for Bama. People need to prepare themselves for it. We’re lucky to have him right now, but this isn’t his final destination or dream job.

I think of it as a compliment. It means his work here will be done.

if Saban retires Ala will want Dabo Swinney

 

[perico]

You mean like how Tee came back to Knoxville?

Some of you make out where a Coach played to be some sort of magic magnet when it isn't.

He'll do what's best for him when that time comes, but if he's rebuilt the Vols (and there are no power struggles internally), I doubt he'd make that move. Similar to how I don't think Dabo makes the move from Clemson.

When was Tee offered the head coaching job at his alma mater? Big difference between being a WR coach under Butch, who he felt no connection with, and being the HC.

Pruitt’s dream job is likely at Alabama. If/when the time comes, it means he will have done his job.

Fulmer spoiled some of us. Coaches who are lifers are few and far between, especially younger ones. It’s one thing to be in your late 50s like Saban was, another to be a young ambitious coach.

 

[volcop1]

I don't believe in winning pressers. But I feel a whole lot better than I did 5 years ago.

presser means nuthin to me. remember when kiffin said we'd be singin' Rocky Top in gainsville. doolittle with that southern charm lost to the kittens for the first time in more than 20 years, show me W's vs L's and that is the bottom line

 

[jakez4ut]

i'm enamoured with the fact that this guy is a true "football guy". it feels like forever since we've had one of those. looks like a football coach. sounds like a football coach. acts like a football coach. he's everything Butch and Derek weren't. so that's a good place to start.

if i'm concerned about something it's just the unknown....1st timer hc, dc (for all intents and purposes), and oc(not sure about the pt/ft role of him and Tee, or how that dynamic really worked).

and pruitt is a hot head, and he probably couldn't care less what anyone thinks. which personally i'm ok with. but he's not been shy to rub people the wrong way in the past. curious to see how/if that changes (or at least to what extent) now being the head guy vs. being insulated by guys like Saban, Fisher and Richt. i think it's probably a good thing he has Fulmer in his corner on that front.....

in the end, i'm willing to bet on the football guy, the recruiting and the overall experience of what looks like a really good staff. i'm excited. if he is as good as he can be, he'll be sooooooo easy to root for.

my gut says we may be getting a more polished Will Muschamp (and i mean that as a compliment--nobody questioned the football mind in CWM, it was the management of the staff and personality issues). maybe not quite Kirby Smart/Jimbo Fisher.....yet?

so my gut says we got a really good football coach. a really good recruiter. and that he'll need good support around him to help navigate "management of the program". i don't think the football stuff is going to be an issue, i'm pretty confident on that side of it.

siap yesterday, but i think all things considered, we probably "wound up" with a really good coach, instead of winding up with a DD/BJ type guy. it's a bit of a risk, but the upside is much better with pruitt than either of the last two guys had.

so, he's 'aight w/me........GBO!

 

[edyeary]

Obviously there’s no way in knowing the future, Pruitt could do well, do amazing, be mediocre, or be a bad HC when it’s all said and done. But what’s your gut feeling?

Do you think we will finally win another SEC championship under him? I’m going to go with yes. Im cautious. But for some reason I just have this gut feeling I didn’t have with Butch or Dooley that we’re finally going to be elite again. Year 3 we win the East, year 4 we win the whole thing. (The SEC, not a saying a natty)

I think he's just what we needed and Im very hopeful he'll be successful. I believe the national media will make jokes at his expense due to him being a country boy. Local media too probably due to him saying alright so much.

 

[prosec34]

I like him enough that I called UT and recommitted to season tickets after a season off.

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

Obviously there’s no way in knowing the future, Pruitt could do well, do amazing, be mediocre, or be a bad HC when it’s all said and done. But what’s your gut feeling?

Do you think we will finally win another SEC championship under him? I’m going to go with yes. Im cautious. But for some reason I just have this gut feeling I didn’t have with Butch or Dooley that we’re finally going to be elite again. Year 3 we win the East, year 4 we win the whole thing. (The SEC, not a saying a natty)

I'm hoping for the best but too be honest I don't have a good feeling about it. Two different things bother me (well besides the Bama thing but Cut is a Bama boy also and he did right by us); first thing is that is feels to me that we are looking too hard at UGA and Kirby and hoping for the same results, Kind of like a little brother copying his big brother. And in my mind UT should be the big brother not UGA. Second thing that bothers me is that even though he has been a part of Championships he's never been a head guy. I like to think that winners are winners but FCBJ had won big at every stop prior to UT. He actually did better than the twits on Twitter and the consensus of VN will admit but we were a long way from NC contention. CJP seems to be the same as FCBJ in that they both have been a part of many wins, however the two are inverse of each other in that CJP's wins were on a much higher level but FCBJ was actually running the shows when he was winning.

If CJP recruits at the level he has in the past and keep them healthy, we can out-athlete many teams we lost to/played close this year. However, his staff will need to coach them up to play at the elite level. This was FCBJ's ruin, his AC's couldn't coach them up.

One other thing (so i guess there's 3 things that worry me) is in-game decisions. At this point we can only guess that he makes the right call based on a risk vs reward basis. The problem with that is that regardless of whether he is conservative or a high-risk tolerance guy, there will be someone on this forum to immediately blast him when whatever decision he made turns out to be the wrong choice. And regardless of whether you folks believe it or not the negativity that overwhelms and over-runs this board at times impacts what's going on at practice and ultimately during the game.


So, my hope is the CJP can motivate these guys and make sure they are aware that everyone that posts on these boards (myself included) and on VolTwitter are basically idiots trying to live through their team. After a bad loss or poor decision that can be a tough sell.

tldr; I have hope for CJP just not super high ones. And social media is the devil...:ermm:

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

I wonder how much of a rebuild it is? Honest question. If CJP can get a top notch strength and conditioning coach that can keep us healthy, I honestly think there's some good talent on the roster. They just need to stay healthy and be coached up.

So are you saying Rock wasn't any good? A guy with a successful NFL career was a poor hire? I don't think so.

Now if you want to talk about his predecessor under FCBJ then you would have an argument.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Seems to be no nonsense, no coach speak in him. He will be truthful with the players he coaches and recruits. Cautiously optimistic.

No coach speak? Maybe we watched 2 different pressers. The cliches weren't all there, but it was coach speak.

Roll up our sleeves, lot of work to be done, I'm all in at UT (until I leave Alabama of course) etc etc etc. I really really want him to succeed. He hasn't done anything yet though and he's the greatest thing since Gen Neyland.

And.... I am not a NegaVol, just not sold on this guy's sincerity yet.

 

[DenverVol01]

So are you saying Rock wasn't any good? A guy with a successful NFL career was a poor hire? I don't think so.

Now if you want to talk about his predecessor under FCBJ then you would have an argument.

I don't have any firsthand knowledge to say he was good or not. But I do have a pretty good recollection of how many players, specifically on the o-line, missed playing time this past season. I remember seeing an article during the season that listed us as #1 in the SEC for lost playing time by starters. Not good.

 

[luthervol]

Pruitt has moved from a 2 to a 3 (on a scale of 1 to 10) since the hire. He looks and sounds like 50% of the high school coaches in GA. It certainly made for a nice contrast to Jones' pressers, but will wear old quickly. As he is instructing the players on where to sit in class and how to greet their professors, he may wish to get lessons on public speaking. The differences in public relations requirements between an AC and a HC are astronomical.

I wanted that guy that would have 100,000 at the spring game and recruits calling UT wanting to get in. That's not Pruitt. With hard work and a lot of wins, maybe he can turn into that guy. That happens to be the same thing I said about the previous 3 hires.

Only time will tell. However, a lot of TN fans are tired of waiting.

 

[TNDeb3]

We gone be a'ight with Coach Pruitt.

GBO!!!
:rock:

 

[sona]

From what little I have seen, I think he is straight forward and I believe him when he says he got into this profession for the kids. He is obviously great at the DC position. I imagine he might relate better to high school kids than fake ass Butch Jones.

Will he be a great HC at UT? I have no idea. We went the cheap and unproven route again. Hope he kills it here.

 

[Mason]

i think we hit a HOMERUN

 

[tennbjj]

Here's what I heard in my head as Coach was speaking:

Gangs of New York Theme - YouTube

Made me wanna grab my hatchet and get in the fight