Say this for Jeremy Pruitt: Georgia’s first-year defensive coordinator doesn’t speak to the media often, but when he does, he usually has something important to say.
Pruitt spoke to reporters following one of the Bulldogs’ practices for the first time since September on Tuesday. But he had some pointed reasons for doing so. Pruitt wanted to tell recruits that an indoor practice facility is on its way at Georgia.
The Bulldogs were unable to hold its normal full-speed, full-contact Tuesday practice because cold and blustery conditions forced them indoors to the Nalley Multipurpose Facility. The Bulldogs did the best they could in the inadequately-sized room, which is about 20 yards by 40 yards.
“It’s big enough for (Mike) Bobo and (Mike) Ekeler’s kids to get a good game going,” Pruitt quipped.
But Pruitt assured one and all — and recruits specifically — that such inconveniences are about to end.
“We didn’t go outside obviously because of the weather,” said Pruitt, who coached at FSU and Alabama previously. “I know in recruiting — because I’ve been on the other side; I’ve recruited against Georgia — that hurts player development. But I know we’re fixing to take care of that. This will be the last football team that Georgia will have that will have days that it won’t get better because Georgia doesn’t have an indoor facility. I know our folks upstairs are going to get it done.”
Pruitt’s comments are premature, according to Athletic Director Greg McGarity.
“No, that’s not true,” McGarity said Tuesday night after hearing of Pruitt’s remarks. “We are working through the process, but a facility of this magnitude takes time. We’ll discuss it with our board in February, but there are many, many steps to taken and they will. But 2015, it’s not going to happen that quickly.”
In September, the UGA Athletic Association’s board of directors approved a study to explore the possibility of building an indoor practice facility for football on campus. But at that time it had not yet even been determined where the facility would be built, much less what it might look like, how it will be built, who will build it and how much it will cost.
“I know our folks upstairs are going to get it done,” Pruitt said, referring to UGA’s senior athletic administrators. “They got it done in seven months at Florida State. The first day I took the job on Jan. 7 they broke ground and it was done for the first day of practice.”
Whether that’s logistically possible is immaterial to Pruitt.
“”That’s why I came up here to see y’all; I want to be proactive,” Pruitt said. “The guys upstairs are serious. They’re trying to figure out the fastest way they can get us one.”
About the Author
