Tennessee (2-5, 2-5 SEC) will host No. 5 Florida (7-1, 7-1 SEC) Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
The Vols’ quarterback unit has been affected by COVID-19 and contact tracing protocols.
“I’ve tried to be as transparent as we can with it,” Pruitt said. “We can’t say exactly who, but these guys that are out there practicing are working hard to create chemistry with our guys, so we’ll continue to do that this week.”
Freshman quarterback Harrison Bailey has appeared in three games for the Vols in 2020. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound signal-caller is 14-for-23, while throwing for 175 yards and two interceptions.
Pruitt also discussed Bailey’s development since arriving at Tennessee and ahead of playing the Gators.
“I really don’t think the issue is the playbook,” Pruitt said. “Harrison is a smart guy who has worked really hard. It’s been more about opportunities and getting live opportunities. He’s had a chance to do more and more of that as the season has gone. When you just talk about the volume of work, playing a little bit at the end of the Kentucky game, the Arkansas game and a couple of weeks ago against Auburn has been really good for him, just for the speed of the game to prepare him for the future.
“That’s been really, really good. He works hard every single day. He’s developing more leadership around the rest of his teammates. That’s part of being a quarterback is getting the other 10 guys to be at their best. He continues to do what we ask him to do.”
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