Jeremy Pruitt and Kirby Smart both spent time working under Nick Saban at Alabama.
Now both are head coaches competing against each other in the SEC East.
Pruitt (Director of Player Development) and Smart (Assistant Head Coach and defensive backs) came in together on Saban’s first staff at Alabama during the 2007 season.
Smart was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2008, a title he held through the 2015 season when he left to become Georgia’s head coach. Saban promoted Pruitt to defensive backs coach in 2010, working alongside Smart for three seasons. Pruitt eventually departed Alabama to become defensive coordinator at Florida State (2013), Georgia (2014-15) and returning to Alabama (2016-17) before being hired as Tennessee’s head coach in 2018.
Vols Wire takes a look at Pruitt and Smart by the numbers when they held a position of defensive coordinator or head coach at the Power Five level. Statistics are tackles for a loss, TFL yards, sacks and sack yards, highlighting both coaches’ schemes to provide pressure and putting players in position to be an impact in the backfield.
*Note, through two games in 2020, Tennessee has totaled 14 tackles for a loss, 48 TFL yards, five sacks and 24 sack yards, while Georgia has 10 tackles for a loss, 49 TFL yards, five sacks and 35 sack yards.
NEXT: Jeremy Pruitt’s defenses by the numbers historically