R ECRUITING
INSIDE JOB
How Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff are exploiting their extensive ties to Alabama to lure some of the state’s top prospects to Knoxville
Ben Thomas bthomas@al.com Jeremy Pruitt’s football staff at Tennessee is loaded with Alabama-connected coaches.
His roster may soon be as well.
Wit h the verba l commit ment over the weekend from five-star Handley defensive end Dylan Brooks, the Vols now have commitments from players ranked No. 1, No. 7, No. 14, No. 25 and No. 27 in the state of Alabama’s class of 2021, according to the 247 composite rankings.
“Th ey are obvio usly doing a good job,” said Brooks’ coach at Handley, Larry Strain. “Coach Pruitt, coach (Derric k) Ansley and those guys have connections to the state. I also think their approach seems to be a little different. For Dylan, he just felt like it was home there. He told me talking to those guys was just like talking to our staff at Handley. He was comfortable, and that’s important to a high school player.”
M ost experts believed Brooks’ decision would come down to nearby Auburn or rival Alabama. He has offer s from both. Strai n said he never felt that way, however.
“I never really thought he was an Auburn guy honestly,” Strain said. “I thought it was between LSU and Alabama. I knew he liked Tennessee, but you never really know what is in a 16-year-old’s mind.”
The 6-foot-5 Brooks is currently the top player in Alabama, according to the 247 composite rankings. Most recruiting services have either he or uncommitted Pinson Valley athlete Ga’Quincy McKinstry ranked No. 1. Either
way, it’s clear the Vols pulled a surprise in picking up an early commitment from Brooks.
“To me, it was definitely a surprise,” said John Garcia Jr., director of football recruiting for SINow. “Obviously, I’m not in the state day-to-day anymore, but in all my dealings with Dylan, it seemed like an Iron Bowl battle between Auburn and Alabama with Auburn maybe being the favorite to beat at any stage in his recruitment. I think it speaks to the inroads Pruitt, Ansley and that staff have made already. Ansley is already a superstar recruiter, and this is just more evidence of that.”
Along with Brooks, the other top Tennessee commitments from Alabama in the 2021 class are McGill-Toolen wide receiver Jordan Mosley, Oxford wide receiver Roc Taylor, UMS-Wright safety Ed win White and Demopolis cornerback Jay Jones. Of the five, Brooks is the only one with offers from in-state powers Auburn and Alaba ma at this point, according to their recruiting profiles.
“Those are guys who I feel like need offers from the in-state schools and some of them may have them,” Oxford coach Keith Etheredge said. “It’s tough when those types of athletes go out of state, but Tennessee is doing a really good job right now in this state. They are obviously a national program that recruits all over the nation, but they also have the luxury of having a lot of Alabama guys on that staff.”
Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt is the son of an Alabama high school football coach and a former defensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide. But now he’s pointing the way for the state’s top prospects to the University of Tennessee. Associated Press file
Considered the No. 1 propsect in the state by some services, Handley five-star defensive end Dylan Brooks commited to Tennessee.
Tim Altork, The Randolph Leader
Pruitt played high school football for his father at Plainview High in Rainsville and spent his final two years of college football at Alabama.
He had high school stints at Plainview and Hoover and had a pair of stints on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama.
The other coaches on his Tennessee staff with Alabama connections include Ansley, Jimmy Brumbaugh, Will Friend, Tee Martin, Brian Niedermeyer, Kerry Stevenson and Todd Watson.
“I think that is a major part of the success,” sai d McG ill-Toolen’s Mosley of the Tennessee staff’s Alabama roots. “They are fa milia r wit h the state. It’s not somewhere they go and don’t know anything about. Tee knows Mobile. Coach Pruitt has been down here a lot wherever he’s coached. They have a whole bunch of guys on the staff who are familiar with Alabama and the athletes we have here. They know the talent, so why not jump on the state.”
M osley has been committed to Tennessee since last summer. He said Mobile native and former Williamson star Martin is a big reason why.
“I’ve watched what Tee has done in the past with receivers, especially guys at USC like Robert Woods and JuJu (Smith-Schuster),” Mosley told preps@al.com file
INSIDE JOB
How Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff are exploiting their extensive ties to Alabama to lure some of the state’s top prospects to Knoxville
Ben Thomas bthomas@al.com Jeremy Pruitt’s football staff at Tennessee is loaded with Alabama-connected coaches.
His roster may soon be as well.
Wit h the verba l commit ment over the weekend from five-star Handley defensive end Dylan Brooks, the Vols now have commitments from players ranked No. 1, No. 7, No. 14, No. 25 and No. 27 in the state of Alabama’s class of 2021, according to the 247 composite rankings.
“Th ey are obvio usly doing a good job,” said Brooks’ coach at Handley, Larry Strain. “Coach Pruitt, coach (Derric k) Ansley and those guys have connections to the state. I also think their approach seems to be a little different. For Dylan, he just felt like it was home there. He told me talking to those guys was just like talking to our staff at Handley. He was comfortable, and that’s important to a high school player.”
M ost experts believed Brooks’ decision would come down to nearby Auburn or rival Alabama. He has offer s from both. Strai n said he never felt that way, however.
“I never really thought he was an Auburn guy honestly,” Strain said. “I thought it was between LSU and Alabama. I knew he liked Tennessee, but you never really know what is in a 16-year-old’s mind.”
The 6-foot-5 Brooks is currently the top player in Alabama, according to the 247 composite rankings. Most recruiting services have either he or uncommitted Pinson Valley athlete Ga’Quincy McKinstry ranked No. 1. Either
way, it’s clear the Vols pulled a surprise in picking up an early commitment from Brooks.
“To me, it was definitely a surprise,” said John Garcia Jr., director of football recruiting for SINow. “Obviously, I’m not in the state day-to-day anymore, but in all my dealings with Dylan, it seemed like an Iron Bowl battle between Auburn and Alabama with Auburn maybe being the favorite to beat at any stage in his recruitment. I think it speaks to the inroads Pruitt, Ansley and that staff have made already. Ansley is already a superstar recruiter, and this is just more evidence of that.”
Along with Brooks, the other top Tennessee commitments from Alabama in the 2021 class are McGill-Toolen wide receiver Jordan Mosley, Oxford wide receiver Roc Taylor, UMS-Wright safety Ed win White and Demopolis cornerback Jay Jones. Of the five, Brooks is the only one with offers from in-state powers Auburn and Alaba ma at this point, according to their recruiting profiles.
“Those are guys who I feel like need offers from the in-state schools and some of them may have them,” Oxford coach Keith Etheredge said. “It’s tough when those types of athletes go out of state, but Tennessee is doing a really good job right now in this state. They are obviously a national program that recruits all over the nation, but they also have the luxury of having a lot of Alabama guys on that staff.”
Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt is the son of an Alabama high school football coach and a former defensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide. But now he’s pointing the way for the state’s top prospects to the University of Tennessee. Associated Press file
Considered the No. 1 propsect in the state by some services, Handley five-star defensive end Dylan Brooks commited to Tennessee.
Tim Altork, The Randolph Leader
Pruitt played high school football for his father at Plainview High in Rainsville and spent his final two years of college football at Alabama.
He had high school stints at Plainview and Hoover and had a pair of stints on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama.
The other coaches on his Tennessee staff with Alabama connections include Ansley, Jimmy Brumbaugh, Will Friend, Tee Martin, Brian Niedermeyer, Kerry Stevenson and Todd Watson.
“I think that is a major part of the success,” sai d McG ill-Toolen’s Mosley of the Tennessee staff’s Alabama roots. “They are fa milia r wit h the state. It’s not somewhere they go and don’t know anything about. Tee knows Mobile. Coach Pruitt has been down here a lot wherever he’s coached. They have a whole bunch of guys on the staff who are familiar with Alabama and the athletes we have here. They know the talent, so why not jump on the state.”
M osley has been committed to Tennessee since last summer. He said Mobile native and former Williamson star Martin is a big reason why.
“I’ve watched what Tee has done in the past with receivers, especially guys at USC like Robert Woods and JuJu (Smith-Schuster),” Mosley told preps@al.com file
