There seems to be a lot of positive reaction in the recruiting world about Georgia hiring FSU’s Jeremy Pruitt as defensive coordinator.
While Pruitt has one season’s experience as defensive coordinator, his team won the BCS championship in that season. He arguably brings just as much to Georgia with his recruiting reputation. In each of the previous two recruiting cycles, Pruitt was named National Recruiter of the Year by 247Sports.com.
“He connects really well with recruits and their families, and he’s tenacious,” Kipp Adams of 247Sports said.
“He’s a guy who knows how to recruit at the collegiate level, and that’s something Georgia didn’t have with (former defensive coordinator) Todd Grantham — a proven recruiter.”
Here are some reactions from Georgia recruiting targets and high school coaches:
Norcross High defensive end Lorenzo Carter (who has Georgia and Florida as his co-leaders, and is scheduled to take an official visit to FSU on Jan. 24): "It's a pretty good pickup. I heard something about it, but I wasn't expecting them to make the change as fast as they did."
Linebacker Christian Miller of Columbia, S.C., who committed to Alabama and is still deciding whether to take an official visit to UGA: "It's a great hire for UGA. He should fit perfect." When asked how it would affect his consideration of UGA, Miller replied, "It won't."
M.L. King High coach Cortez Allen, coach of cornerback Wesley Green (who has UGA and South Carolina as his co-leaders): "It's a great hire. I would imagine that a lot of kids will be intrigued and supportive versus being upset about it. It's a major move by Georgia."
Brooks County High's Maurice Freeman, coach of cornerback Malkom Parrish, who committed to Georgia: "A lot of people think it was a home-run hire, a grand slam, and I agree. It was a grand slam. Malkom is excited and ready to get there. He read about (Pruitt) on the Internet. Obviously, the guy has had a lot of success as an assistant coach. We pulled up where he had been the last couple of years, and he has done an outstanding job at Alabama and FSU. Malkom knows he was defensive coordinator for the national champs.
“(Pruitt) also has a good reputation as a recruiter, and that’s important. If UGA doesn’t lose so many kids to out-of-state teams, they really don’t have to go anywhere else to recruit. There’s a lot of the best football prospects in the country right here in the state of Georgia.”
Pine Forest (N.C.) High's Bill Sochovka, coach of defensive tackle Lamont Gaillard, who committed to Georgia: "I think Lamont is more excited about (Pruitt) coming to Georgia than he was about losing (Todd Grantham), if that makes any sense. Lamont was real impressed with FSU's defense with how big and fast they were this year. I would say he's pleased with how everything turned out."
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