Jeremy Pruitt calls out fans, players after Tennessee spring game
New Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt is laying down the law as he takes control of the Volunteers.
Pruitt blasted some of his players after Tennessee’s spring game on Saturday, calling them out for a lack of effort.
#Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt on spring game: “A couple of guys out there today just flat-out quit. You can call it what you want to, but I’m gonna say they quit, ‘cause that’s what I saw."
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) April 21, 2018
Pruitt was not done there. While the Vols announced a spring game attendance of over 65,000, it was pretty apparently to everyone who saw that this figure was inflated, with numerous empty seats in the building.
Today’s office looks a lot like the office on a Saturday in the fall. https://t.co/6mrMlzpmWG pic.twitter.com/GoaIiGHcq6
— Phil Kaplan (@philkaplan) April 21, 2018
Pruitt took notice and called out those in the fan base who weren’t there or weren’t fully behind the team.
Jeremy Pruitt: Our fans today were like our football team. Some were here and doing great, some weren’t here for legitimate reasons, and some should have been here and weren’t. That sounds just like our team.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) April 21, 2018
The former Alabama defensive coordinator has been tasked with reinvigorating a moribund program and has gone to work to try to bring back the glory days. It certainly looks like his strategy is going to be one of tough love and calling it as he sees it, whether it’s toward players or even fans.