With the news of Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart leaving for the head coaching vacancy at the University of Georgia, the one question that wont be answered until after Alabama’s season is who will replace Smart at Alabama. While Alabama could promote coaches from within- perhaps defensive backs coach Mel Tucker, outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi, there is one hire that would be a slam-dunk. That man is current Georgia defensive coordinator, Jeremy Pruitt.
Pruitt not only an excellent defensive coordinator, but he also has a lot of history at Alabama. The history starts from his playing career, when he played defensive back at Alabama from 1995 to 1996, and then he transitioned to a graduate assistant position in 1997 at Alabama. Most recently, Pruitt coached at Alabama from 2007 until 2012 under Nick Saban. He left Alabama after the 2012 season to become the defensive coordinator at Florida State, where he won a national championship in his only season. After that season, he left to take the same position at Georgia. Pruitt is proven to be a great defensive mind, and he specializes in defensive backs, just like Kirby Smart.
It was rumored that Kirby Smart might keep Pruitt on staff, but Chase Goodbread of NFL.com tweeted out that sources are saying Pruitt will not be put on staff. This leaves Pruitt jobless once Smart brings his staff in, and Alabama would be a perfect place for him to go. Alabama probably wants to hire a guy they know and someone who won’t bring in a lot of change. Jeremy Pruitt would be this guy. He would be a slam-dunk hire for Alabama, and the defense would not skip a beat in the 2016 season and beyond.
