Pruitt had a talented roster at Georgia but inherits an Alabama defensive roster that’s even more talented and stocked with former five-star recruits like Da’Shawn Hand who could be in line for a breakout year next year under Pruitt. AL.com reported early Friday morning that Pruitt to Alabama was “going to happen”. Smart, who has been on the road recruiting for Georgia, has said he will return to Alabama next week and continue to serve as defensive coordinator through the playoff. Pruitt’s defenses were ranked eighth and 17th in total defense in his two seasons with the Bulldogs.
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“I want to be at Georgia and I think our whole staff wants to be at Georgia, so I hope that’s clarity enough”, Pruitt said. From 1998-2006, he spent time in the high school coaching ranks with jobs at Plainview High School, Fort Payne High School, and Hoover High School with the exception of the 1999 season when he was the defensive backs coach at West Alabama.
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After working with the Crimson Tide’s defensive backs for his final three seasons on campus, Pruitt left for his first defensive coordinator job at Florida State in 2013, and won a national title in his only year with the Seminoles. He returned to Tuscaloosa as a director of player development from 2007 to 2009 before being named the defensive backs coach from 2010 to 2012. No. 2 Alabama faces No. 3 Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl on December 31. Smart will still serve as defensive coordinator through the remainder of Alabama’s season. And Pruitt was a source of dissension not only within the athletic department, but within the coaching staff. Some members of Mark Richt’s staff told the former head coach they weren’t staying if Pruitt was retained.
