Jimbo Fisher reportedly has dipped into Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama to hire a defensive coordinator.
Jeremy Pruitt, 38, has accepted the job as the Seminoles’ defensive coordinator, according to reports. Pruitt has been Alabama’s defensive backs coach the last two years, his only two years on the Division I level, and in February was named national recruiter of the year by 247 Sports.
Pruitt would replace Mark Stoops, who left after three years as the Seminoles’ defensive coordinator to become the head coach at Kentucky. Stoops took the Seminoles from the 108th-ranked defense nationally the year before he arrived to No. 2 entering the Jan. 1 Orange Bowl against Northern Illinois.
In the total defense rankings, the Seminoles are behind only Alabama. The Crimson Tide play Notre Dame in the BCS title game Jan. 7 at Sun Life Stadium. Alabama is ranked sixth in passing defense, allowing 166.2 yards per game.
Pruitt has built his reputation on recruiting, something Fisher emphasized while putting together his staff when he took over for Bobby Bowden after the 2009 season. Pruitt had had a lot of success recruiting lower Alabama and the Florida Panhandle for the Crimson Tide.
Fisher still has two spots to fill. Defensive ends coach D.J. Eliot followed Stoops to Kentucky to become the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator, and running backs coach Eddie Gran is leaving to become the offensive coordinator at Cincinnati.
Pruitt played for Middle Tennessee and Alabama in the mid-1990s and then joined the Crimson Tide’s staff as a graduate assistant. He spent six seasons as a high school assistant in Alabama and one as the defensive backs coach at West Alabama. Pruitt returned to Alabama in 2007 as Saban’s director of player development. He was promoted by Saban to secondary coach in 2010.
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