Jeremy Pruitt wore no evidence of his role in college football’s past three BCS championships to a Wednesday press conference introducing him as Georgia’s defensive coordinator.
“I don’t wear rings,” Pruitt said. “I put them in my safe deposit box and don’t ever touch them. Because, to me, I’m not looking in the rearview mirror. I’m looking straight ahead, and hopefully there will be more to get.”
Pruitt was Alabama’s secondary coach when the Crimson Tide won the BCS championship in the 2011 and 2012 seasons and Florida State’s defensive coordinator as the Seminoles won it all this past season. Counting Alabama’s national title in the 2009 season, when he was director of player development, Pruitt is one ring short of a handful.
Such credentials made hiring him “kind of a no-brainer on the resume part,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. And when the credentials were combined with praise of Pruitt the person from several Georgia assistant coaches who know him well, including his college roommate Will Friend, Richt moved decisively by hiring Pruitt only 48 hours after Todd Grantham left for Louisville.
“When I knew there was interest (by Pruitt), that became Priority 1, period,” Richt said. He acknowledged speaking to one other potential candidate, but wouldn’t name him. “Thankfully, Plan A worked out,” Richt said.
“It did happen fast, and I’m thankful for that. But I’m most thankful we got the right man for the job.”
Pruitt’s willingness to leave FSU after the Seminoles won the BCS championship caused a stir in college-football circles. But Pruitt seemed surprised anyone was surprised.
“Who wouldn’t be interested in this job?” he said. “It’s something I just couldn’t turn down.”
Although he thanked FSU coach Jimbo Fisher for the opportunity to lead the Seminoles’ defense, Pruitt traced his desire to coach at Georgia to 2003. That’s when, as an assistant coach under his father at Fort Payne (Ala.) High, Pruitt brought some prospects to UGA and met Richt for the first time.
“I was wowed,” Pruitt said. “I said right then and there that if I ever had the opportunity to work with him, I wanted to be part of his staff.”
Pruitt also pointed out that SEC teams won the previous seven BCS titles before Florida State stopped the streak.
“There is no doubt this is the best conference in the country,” he said.
Pruitt learned of the Georgia opening Sunday from his friend Friend, who asked if he would be interested.
“He was excited about it from the get-go,” said Friend, Pruitt’s teammate at Alabama in the mid-1990s.
Pruitt made $500,000 last year and was in line for a hefty raise from FSU. But when Richt offered a three-year, $850,000-per-year contract, there was none of the back-and-forth negotiation that typically accompanies such deals.
“Me and coach Fisher are very good friends. But when I decided this is what I wanted to do, I let him know, and that was it,” Pruitt said.
“Thankfully, (Pruitt) was very sincere in his interest and very sincere in following through with what he said he wanted to do,” Richt said.
Pruitt wants a defense that is aggressive but sound — “as aggressive as we can possibly be, but at the same time make the other team earn it by driving the distance,” he said.
“To me, a lot of people try to make football harder than what it is. It’s details. It’s blocking. It’s tackling. It’s the fundamentals. It’s getting off blocks. If you want to create turnovers, then you have to practice creating turnovers.”
Pruitt met Georgia’s defensive players at a Tuesday afternoon meeting. He told them they’ll continue to play a 3-4 base defense, augmented with other alignments. He told them, according to Richt, the defense will be “simple enough so that you guys can turn it loose and play some football.” And he told them, “I’m not going to give you what you want — I’m going to give you what you earn.”
The players applauded as Pruitt entered the room and again after he spoke.
“I’ve never seen that in a meeting since I’ve been coaching, 30-something years,” Richt said.
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