Former Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt is seemingly nearing a return to major college football. According to a report from John Brice of FootballScoop, Pruitt is being targeted by Maryland for a role in a ‘key defensive assistant position’.
In December, Pruitt was granted a request for a preliminary injunction against the NCAA by an Alabama judge, Alabama 247’s Mike Rodak reported. The injunction prevents the NCAA from enforcing the show-cause penalty it levied against Pruitt back in 2023. The show-cause, which makes NCAA institutions seek permission to hire Pruitt and often comes with limitations, was for six years.
The injunction is part of a $100 million lawsuit from Pruitt against the NCAA, alleging that the collegiate sports governing body colluded with the University of Tennessee to make Pruitt the scapegoat of the investigation into illegal recruiting at Tennessee.
Currently, Pruitt was also in line to help coach at Jacksonville State. The NCAA limited his role there, though, to positions where he was not able to recruit and had other duties limited.
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At Tennessee, Pruitt missed bowl eligibility in his first season in 2018. The team finished 5-7, including a 2-6 mark in SEC play. To open the 2019 season, Pruitt’s team lost to Georgia State at home and then to BYU in overtime at home. However, the team responded with a win streak to end the year to go 7-5 and win the Gator Bowl against Indiana.
In 2020, the Covid year that featured a slate of just 10 SEC games, Pruitt had the team defeat South Carolina on the road and Missouri at home to reach the longest active win-streak in the country, dating back to the prior season. Things came crashing down, though, finishing with a 3-7 record.
After the season, Pruitt was fired after an investigation revealed recruiting violations.
If the deal with Maryland is finalized, Pruitt would join head coach Mike Locksley’s program. The pair overlapped at Alabama from 2016-17. This past season, the Terrapins finished 4-8 (1-8 Big Ten). This puts a lot of pressure on this upcoming season for Locksley to turn things around.
