Jeremy Pruitt has reached back to his Alabama roots for his first hire as Georgia’s defensive coordinator.

Pruitt tabbed South Alabama defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer as a linebackers coach, but it’s unclear if he will coach inside linebackers, outside linebackers, or both.

Like Pruitt, Sherrer is a former Crimson Tide football player and administrative assistant and also worked at Hoover High near Birmingham. Sherrer was linebackers coach at Hoover and succeeded Pruitt there as defensive coordinator. He later followed Pruitt to Alabama, where he worked until 2012 as director of player development. For the last year Sherrer was South Alabama’s defensive coordinator.

“At the end of the day, I think Jeremy was always going to bring Kevin with him to Georgia,” said Colquitt County coach Rush Propst, who hired both men as head coach at Hoover High. “There’s a familiarity and trust between them. He’s a good coach. I think Georgia fans have a lot to be excited about with their defensive direction.”

Sherrer coached defensive backs at South Alabama, but Pruitt is expected to coach defensive backs for Georgia. The Bulldogs have vacancies for a defensive line coach and for either another linebackers coach or a special-teams coordinator.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Norman Arey died Oct. 11, 2025 at the age of 84. In addition to sports writing, Arey also co-wrote the popular "Peach Buzz" society column. (Courtesy of the Arey family)

Credit: Courtesy of the Arey family

Featured

Corbin Spencer, right, field director of New Georgia Project and volunteer Rodney King, left, help Rueke Uyunwa register to vote. The influential group is shutting down after more than a decade. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2017)

Credit: Hyosub Shin