The No. 1 question outside of who will replace Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt — who is expected to be named head coach at Tennessee according to a report from BOL's Tim Watts — is how will his departure affect recruiting?
There’s no question losing Pruitt isn’t ideal for the Crimson Tide’s recruiting efforts, but it’s not a situation that should cause panic for Tide fans.
Pruitt’s main recruiting areas are South Alabama, parts of Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle. Of course, the former Tide DC played a big role in a number of additional defensive recruits, but these areas are where he is considered the primary recruiter.
Here’s a look at which recruits this could affect:
Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB, Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul’s Episcopal — Alabama commit
Armour-Davis appears pretty set on the Crimson Tide with Nick Saban at the helm. He doesn’t plan on signing early, though, so future potential visits to places like Auburn or Florida State in the next couple months could be something to watch if they try to use the loss of Pruitt to their gain.
Andres Fox, DE, Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul’s Episcopal —
Fox grew up an Alabama fan, so a coaching change shouldn’t affect his view of the program. Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Stanford are all in a tight race for the three-star defensive end. I projected him in my last mock class to Alabama; I probably wouldn’t do that this time around with Alabama making a push for Malik Langham.
JJ Peterson, LB, Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County —
This is probably the recruitment we’ll watch most closely with the loss of Pruitt. The nation’s No. 1 outside linebacker is close with the former the Tide DC especially considering his head coach Rush Propst goes way back with Pruitt to their days at Hoover. Losing Pruitt certainly won’t help with Auburn and Georgia trailing closely. I would still keep the edge with the Tide, but official visits could ultimately be the determining factor.
Jacob Copeland, WR, Pensacola (Fla.) Escambia —
The former Gators commit is trending to Alabama after backing off his commitment to UF. Dan Mullen and staff are working to get him back in the fold. Pruitt has seen Copeland twice in the last two weeks. This could be a recruit that is impacted fairly significantly by the loss in my opinion. Again, with Saban at the helm, though, the repercussions are certainly lessened.
Brenton Cox, DE, Stockbridge (Ga.) — Ohio State commit
The five-star defensive end received an in-home from Pruitt earlier this week. Alabama knocked it out of the park on his official visit this past weekend and looks to have gained some momentum. He still plans to visit Georgia and may still get up to Ohio State before signing early.
A couple other recruits that Pruitt is not the primary on that could be affected:
Quay Walker, LB, Cordele (Ga.) Crisp County — Alabama commit
Walker has been on flip watch for a while with his continued interest in Auburn and Georgia. Defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley is his primary, and has played a big role in keeping him in the class.
Vernon Jackson, ATH, Boling (Texas) — Alabama commit
Pruitt is the secondary recruiter for Jackson. Running backs coach Burton Burns is the primary. Talking with people in Texas this week and it appears Jackson is firmer than we thought considering all the visits he’s taking. Losing Pruitt may not be a huge loss in terms of his recruitment.
Other names to watch: Miami CB commit Josh Jobe and 5-star CBs Tyson Campbell and Patrick Surtain Jr.
We’ll work to get reactions from commits and targets and add them as they come in.
There’s no question losing Pruitt isn’t ideal for the Crimson Tide’s recruiting efforts, but it’s not a situation that should cause panic for Tide fans.
Pruitt’s main recruiting areas are South Alabama, parts of Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle. Of course, the former Tide DC played a big role in a number of additional defensive recruits, but these areas are where he is considered the primary recruiter.
Here’s a look at which recruits this could affect:
Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB, Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul’s Episcopal — Alabama commit
Armour-Davis appears pretty set on the Crimson Tide with Nick Saban at the helm. He doesn’t plan on signing early, though, so future potential visits to places like Auburn or Florida State in the next couple months could be something to watch if they try to use the loss of Pruitt to their gain.
Andres Fox, DE, Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul’s Episcopal —
Fox grew up an Alabama fan, so a coaching change shouldn’t affect his view of the program. Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Stanford are all in a tight race for the three-star defensive end. I projected him in my last mock class to Alabama; I probably wouldn’t do that this time around with Alabama making a push for Malik Langham.
JJ Peterson, LB, Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County —
This is probably the recruitment we’ll watch most closely with the loss of Pruitt. The nation’s No. 1 outside linebacker is close with the former the Tide DC especially considering his head coach Rush Propst goes way back with Pruitt to their days at Hoover. Losing Pruitt certainly won’t help with Auburn and Georgia trailing closely. I would still keep the edge with the Tide, but official visits could ultimately be the determining factor.
Jacob Copeland, WR, Pensacola (Fla.) Escambia —
The former Gators commit is trending to Alabama after backing off his commitment to UF. Dan Mullen and staff are working to get him back in the fold. Pruitt has seen Copeland twice in the last two weeks. This could be a recruit that is impacted fairly significantly by the loss in my opinion. Again, with Saban at the helm, though, the repercussions are certainly lessened.
Brenton Cox, DE, Stockbridge (Ga.) — Ohio State commit
The five-star defensive end received an in-home from Pruitt earlier this week. Alabama knocked it out of the park on his official visit this past weekend and looks to have gained some momentum. He still plans to visit Georgia and may still get up to Ohio State before signing early.
A couple other recruits that Pruitt is not the primary on that could be affected:
Quay Walker, LB, Cordele (Ga.) Crisp County — Alabama commit
Walker has been on flip watch for a while with his continued interest in Auburn and Georgia. Defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley is his primary, and has played a big role in keeping him in the class.
Vernon Jackson, ATH, Boling (Texas) — Alabama commit
Pruitt is the secondary recruiter for Jackson. Running backs coach Burton Burns is the primary. Talking with people in Texas this week and it appears Jackson is firmer than we thought considering all the visits he’s taking. Losing Pruitt may not be a huge loss in terms of his recruitment.
Other names to watch: Miami CB commit Josh Jobe and 5-star CBs Tyson Campbell and Patrick Surtain Jr.
We’ll work to get reactions from commits and targets and add them as they come in.
