Vols Discuss Rebuilding Campaign Under Coach Pruitt at SEC Media Days

Atlanta, GA-(WDEF-TV)  4-8. Head coach fired. Dead last in the SEC. It’s safe to say this is going to be a rebuilding year for the University of Tennessee. Said first year head coach Jeremy Pruitt at SEC Media Days: “All over the country, and it happens every year, you start over. Every team starts over.”

With a new coach comes a new mindset. Said tight end Eli Wolf: “Establishing culture is never easy. But I think we’ve taken big strides towards getting the culture that Coach Pruitt wants.”

Like many SEC teams, the question remains as to who will start under center for the Vols. Will it be Jarrett Guarantano or Keller Chryst? But receiver Marquez Callaway says he trusts whatever the coaches decides. Said Callaway: “The quarterback position is a difficult position because everyone wants the starting job. And us as receivers, all we’re supposed to do is catch the ball from whoever’s throwing it to us. So really the coach is going to make the right decision to pick the best one, and that’s all we can rely on.” Added Pruitt: “We have a lot of unknowns but one thing we have is we have competition. We have no starters. I think that’s why you haven’t seen people leave our program.”

Having your new head coach just come off a National Championship win probably keeps players around too. Said defensive end Kyle Phillips: “When Coach Pruitt first got hired, so many former of his players you know came back and told me how much respect they have for him, and how well of a coach he is and I really just believe that. I can see it with my own eyes now. So I’m really just proud to have him as my head coach and really excited about the program of Tennessee football.”