Rush Propst reached a career milestone in his head coaching career.
First-year Valdosta High School head coach Rush Propst reached a career milestone Friday.
Valdosta defeated Lovejoy, 52-14, in the first round of the Georgia state playoffs. The win is No. 300 in his high school coaching career. He now has an overall record of 300-100 with 79 victories taking place in the playoffs.
Third-year Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt served as Propst’s defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Hoover High School between 2004-06.
Colquitt County coach Rush Propst runs onto the field moments after Colquitt County defeated Archer in the Class AAAAAA state high school football championship, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jason Getz)
Rush Propst’s career by the numbers
Ashville High School (1989-93)
Eufaula High School (1994-96)
Alba High School (1997)
Alma Bryant High School (1998)
Hoover High School (1999-2007)
Colquitt County High School (2008-18)
UAB (2019, volunteer consultant)
Valdosta High School (2020)
300-100 career record 139 players signed scholarships at Colquitt County (over 250 total players in career) 1 National championship (2015) 5 AHSAA Class 6A state championships (2000, 2002–2005) 2 GHSA Class 6A state championships (2014–2015: 30-game win streak)
State of the Tennessee program 30 games into Jeremy Pruitt’s tenure.
KNOXVILLE — Jeremy Pruitt is 30 games into his tenure as Tennessee’s head coach.
The third-year Tennessee head coach has compiled a 15-15 record as he continues a process of building UT back to a championship program.
Tennessee has reached the midway point of the 2020 regular season in a 10-game SEC-only schedule.
Rush Propst, Pruitt’s former boss at Hoover High School, discussed the state and direction of Tennessee’s program 30 games into his former defensive coordinator’s tenure at UT.
“Jeremy finished up strong in recruiting last year, and I think they finish strong this year in recruiting,” Propst said on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days.” “I think the COVID year is going to be one where we all sort of flush on down when it’s over with. I still think, and I still believe, that there are brighter things ahead for Tennessee going forward, especially in 2021 and 2022. That’s when you really are going to find out, with the recruiting, in year four and year five, of where the Tennessee Vol program becomes.
“I think, and I know, people are going to say, Rush, you are just a homer because Jeremy is your guy, but people are going to have to understand that he is recruiting very well and he is starting to recruit even better. I agree with him 100 percent that Tennessee looks better on the hoof then they have, probably as good since he has been there.”
KNOXVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 04, 2020 – Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers during practice on Haslam Field in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Caleb Jones/Tennessee Athletics
In order for Tennessee to take its next step and compete for divisional championships, quarterback play is key going forward.
“It all still boils down to quarterback play,” Propst said. “The guy pulling that trigger makes the world go around.”
Propst is in his first season as head coach at Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Georgia.
After California determined it would not hold competition in high school football this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic, Propst searched the quarterback market and brought in USC commit Jake Garcia into his program.
Bringing in Garcia was a perfect fit as he is committed to USC and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, a similar scheme to Propst’s Air Raid power spread.
Garcia appeared in one game for Valdosta, throwing for 339 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener.
On Oct. 7, the GHSA declared Garcia ineligible to compete after arriving at Valdosta, as students transferring into the state must be part of a bona fide family move to play immediately.
On Oct. 26, the GHSA declared Garcia eligible to play in the state as he transferred to Grayson High School.
Propst mentioned that “it’s tough sledding when you have that type of athlete, that type of player, in your holster and you can’t use him.”
Garcia not playing for Valdosta has placed Propst in a position in which it is difficult to compete for a championship without “a guy pulling that trigger.”
“I look at it in our situation, I felt like we would be 6-0 with a Jake Garcia, where now we are 4-2 unofficially, 3-3 officially, without a quarterback,” Propst said. “It boils down to that. Quarterback play is a key to any level. If you do not get good quarterback play, regardless of what kind of players you have, you are going to struggle.
“With Jake, too, he fit what we were doing because what he was going to do at USC. He knew some things coming in that we didn’t have to teach him. He already had been exposed to it. It was set perfectly for us going forward if things would have worked out, but it didn’t. I still don’t quite understand the ruling, I still don’t understand how he could end up at Grayson High School right now and play, but it is what it is. We are moving on and the playoffs are right around the corner.”
Propst’s inability to have consistent quarterback play week in and week out this season after Garcia’s departure parallels of what Pruitt has experienced through 30 games at Tennessee.
“I think that’s the same thing any school in the SEC, when you have good quarterback play, relative to everything else, as long as you are average or above average in every other category, the team that has the best quarterback – teams that have the best quarterback play are usually the best teams,” Propst said.
The entire show with Propst can be listened to here or below.
An open date ‘is the most scariest of times’ dealing with COVID-19.
The coronavirus pandemic has altered the sport of football from a game-planning aspect in 2020.
Coaches and players testing positive for COVID-19 results in quarantining for a period of time before being able to practice and compete again. False positive tests have also altered practice structure as coaches and players could be in quarantine before realizing they actually did not have coronavirus.
Teams like Tennessee test on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursdays. The Vols are like other schools at the collegiate level, as well as high schools that have to work around game-planning for an opponent after players and coaches contract the virus or have false positives.
Valdosta High School head coach Rush Propst discussed having to manage his roster this season with student-athletes having positive and false tests.
“I had nine players that I lost for two weeks,” Propst said on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days.” “I have lost two ball games this year due to COVID-19, so the problem with this stuff is the rhythm. You cannot get into rythm with your football team. One week you are here and expect this and then all of a sudden you are hit with nine kids that are not here, so we lose those kids for practice. It hurts you when you go to practice with 65 kids and you are normally at 80-something.”
Propst mentioned “there is so much unknown still going forward and it is hard for your team to stay focused on the task at hand” while dealing with COVID-19.
“I tell my team every week, that you are defeating two opponents every week — the team that you are playing and COVID-19.”
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
The hardest part for a team this season is coming off an open date. After playing five games to kick off the 2020 season, Tennessee had its open date last week ahead of playing at Arkansas Saturday.
For Tennessee’s sake, student-athletes had Friday and Saturday off before returning to practice in preparation for Arkansas. Players dispersed away from campus, even coaches such as Tee Martin traveled to watch his son, Amari Rodgers, play at Clemson against Boston College.
“The open date, to me, is the most scariest of times because they sort of let their guard down,” Propst said.
“The COVID bug hits you and we all know the Trevor Lawrence story and what that entails this weekend in South Bend with Notre Dame,” Propst continued. “The same situation with Jeremy at Tennessee and the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can lose a key pivotal player and not get him back and can affect your win-loss record. It’s been difficult, but I promise you whenever you have a group of kids and they are together and they are in routine, they’re structured during the week, and you are playing week in and week out, those players do not have much time to go other places to get infected.
“When you have an open date, all of a sudden a team shuts down and you disperse, you don’t know where they go. Then now they come back in and one gets positive and another gets a positive, then you go back to contact tracing and you lose six, seven more because of exposure. For us it’s 14 days and I know each conference has its own protocol in college football, but that is the hardest pill to swallow, to me, is the contact tracing and losing a kid that doesn’t even test positive, but is quarantined because of contact tracing. Then when you get that player back, what kind of shape is he in. Is it more dangerous for that player to come back and to be thrown into the fire so to speak, when he lost x-amount of weeks or days due to this virus.”
The entire show with Propst can be listened to here or below.
‘Inside and out’ look at Todd Watson as Vols’ interim defensive line coach.
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee will kick off the second half of its 2020 season Saturday at Arkansas. The Vols travel to Fayetteville following an open date last week.
Tennessee entered the season having six offensive assistant coaches, while having four on defense. The NCAA permits ten on-field assistant coaches per staff.
Following a 34-7 loss to Kentucky in Week 4, Jeremy Pruitt relieved Jimmy Brumbaugh of his duties coaching Tennessee’s defensive line. Pruitt will oversee the unit for the remainder of the season.
Parting ways with Brumbaugh has created Tennessee’s defense to have three on-field assistant coaches: Derrick Ansley (defensive coordinator/defensive backs), Shelton Felton (outside linebackers) and Brian Niedermeyer (inside linebackers).
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Todd Watson is in his his third season at Tennessee under Pruitt, serving as Director of Football Programming.
Pruitt and Watson worked together at Hoover High School in 2004 under head coach Rush Propst. Watson served as defensive coordinator, while Pruitt was defensive backs coach for Propst.
Following Tennessee’s off week, Propst discussed if someone like Watson is a good option in becoming an interim defensive line coach for the remainder of the season, helping Pruitt from an on-field staff perspective.
“Todd Watson is a quality football coach and Jeremy has probably thought about that, but he is there everyday and he knows what Todd does in a day in and day out basis,” Propst said on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days.”
“I am sure Jeremy has thought about that inside and out,” Propst continued. “Todd is a very good football coach, they worked together when they worked for me, now Todd has been with Jeremy for quite some time. I am sure that he has thought about that.
“I think you have to look at Jeremy’s situation, too. A lot of times you do not want to rob Peter to pay Paul, so he has to measure what Todd is actually doing for him. He maybe doing something for Jeremy that he can’t afford for Todd to go be an assistant coach at that position that could affect him in another area of his football program.”
Propst mentioned that it is wise for Pruitt to not make multiple changes within his program during the season.
“I learned this along time ago — you don’t make multiple moves,” Propst said. “You minimize the damage. You try to cover up what you can cover up, but don’t maximize the damage by making multiple moves.”
The entire show with Propst can be listened to here or below.
Jeremy Pruitt continues his process of turning Tennessee into something special.
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee (2-3, 2-3 SEC) is off in Week 6 of a 10-game SEC-only 2020 season.
The Vols look to rebound from three consecutive losses to Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama. Tennessee will return to action Nov. 7 as the Vols travel to Arkansas.
Following the Vols’ 48-17 loss to Alabama last week, third-year Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt provided a message to fans that he is continuing to rebuild the program back to a championship level.
“Nobody is more disappointed than the people within our program, I can assure you,” Pruitt said. “It’s the reason that I wanted this job. I understood the passion, the energy and the expectations of Tennessee football. When I took the job, I knew exactly where it was at, which is why I wanted the job. I wanted this job because I wanted to get it to where it’s supposed to be.
“It’s a heck of a challenge. I’m excited about being here. I’m not discouraged. The people in our program aren’t discouraged. I know where our program’s headed and we’ll get there.”
KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 27, 2020 – Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers during practice on Haslam Field in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics
Pruitt’s message goes hand-in-hand with what his former boss Rush Propst said last season.
Propst explained why Pruitt took the Tennessee job and his dedication to rebuilding Tennessee’s program back to a championship level.
“He is 150-percent bought in at Tennessee,” Propst said on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” in Sept. 2019. “He wants to live there, he wants to coach there for a long time, he wants to turn that place into something special.”
A two-minute clip of Propst discussing Pruitt taking the Tennessee job can be listened to below.
Tennessee Two-A-Days Episode 2 preview. Rush Propst discusses Jeremy Pruitt all-in to building a championship program.
“He is 150-percent bought in at Tennessee. He wants to live there, he wants to coach there for a long time, he wants to turn that place into something special.” pic.twitter.com/MtwEDm5aCP
Will Lowery and Rush Propst preview Tennessee-Alabama.
Tennessee (2-2, 2-2 SEC) will host No. 2 Alabama (4-0, 4-0 SEC) Saturday at Neyland Stadium (3:30 p.m. EDT, CBS).
The Vols enter Week 5 of a 10-game SEC-only schedule with back-to-back losses to Georgia and Kentucky. Alabama has defeated Missouri, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Georgia during the 2020 campaign.
Nov 26, 2010; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Cameron Newton (2) is grabbed by Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Dont’a Hightower (30) and defensive back Will Lowery (29) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Ahead of the contest, Valdosta and former Hoover High School head coach Rush Propst previewed the matchup with Will Lowery. Lowery played at Alabama (2008-11) and Hoover for Propst and third-year Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
Oct 12, 2007; Hoover, AL, USA; Hoover Bucs head coach Rush Propst during the game against the Vestavia Rebels at Regions Park. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Following the announcement of Pruitt parting ways with Brumbaugh, Valdosta High School head coach Rush Propst discussed his former defensive coordinator’s decision on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days.”
Propst mentioned that “it is the head coaches prerogative, especially with Jeremy, knowing defense like he knows it” to make changes on the coaching staff.
“I just think he saw something that was not getting done in practice and it went over into the game, that is what happened,” Propst said. “Jeremy would not make a change unless something was not getting done properly — of what he wanted done. There are things that he wants done, in the film room and on the practice field that he knows needs to be done, and if that is not getting done, and it reflects in the ball game, you as a position coach is responsible for that position. If that position is not performing up to its capabilities, whether it be effort, whether it be scheme, whether it be technique, that all falls on the shoulders of that particular coach.
“I just think Jeremy has the right, as any head coach, to make a change. I applaud him in the fact that you can hang on sometimes too long, and sometimes we as head coaches will hang on and not make a change when you need to make a change — when inevitably is going to be a change made. I think he sort of feels like I’ll just go ahead and make it now. I think that is what he did. It is not something that he got mad at one game. He didn’t get upset about one particular game and make a rash decision, that did not happen. This has been something that has been boiling with him for several weeks. I think he finally had enough of whatever it was, he made the decision based on a combination of several things leading up to the decision to make a change.”
Pruitt will oversee the defensive line unit for the remainder of the season.
The entire show with Propst and former Alabama and Hoover High School defensive back Will Lowery can be listened to here or below.
Propst mentioned “the key to the game is how well Jeremy Pruitt defends Georgia.”
“It’s a chess match,” Propst said. “It’s a chess match between Todd Monken and Jeremy Pruitt, Derrick Ansley and his staff. Then there is a chess match going on with Dan Lanning, Kirby Smart and Jim Chaney that it is going to be fun and kickback and watch it.”
Kirby Smart and Jeremy Pruitt, Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
The Bulldogs have continued to have a strong presence in the running game this season. Georgia totaled 202 yards on 45 attempts in its 27-6 win against Auburn last week.
During the offseason, Georgia had a pair of quarterbacks transfer into its program in JT Daniels (USC) and Jamie Newman (Wake Forest). Ahead of the season, Newman opted out and will not play, while Daniels is still recovering from an ACL injury taking place at USC last year.
Not having Daniels or Newman playing has paved a way for 5-foot-11, 190-pound Stetson Bennett to become Georgia’s signal-caller. In wins against Arkansas and Auburn, Bennett is 37-of-57 for 451 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He has been sacked twice.
Through the first two games, Monken has been able to run Air Raid concepts with Bennett, while maintaining a physical ground game. Monken has featured Y-Cross off play-action instead of in a straight drop back, along with mesh early on this season.
“In the system, whether it be Y-Cross or Y-Sail, it starts with that guy,” Propst said of Air Raid concepts and the signal-caller. “So what they did against Auburn, they did a lot of that off play-action to protect the quarterback and they were wide open. When Auburn had to sell out to stop the run, it left the play-action.
“The scheme stays the same, whether you are in the gun, taking a three-step drop, playing 90-game, or you are under center and play-action — the concepts are not going to change a lot. I did see mesh in a third down deal. There are about seven or eight concepts in the 90-game which is a three-step drop out of shotgun and then it is 60 protection which is quick game stuff. There are tons of things he can do out of that to get the ball out to the wide receivers very fast.”
Safety play is critical when defending Air Raid concepts as they determine if it is needed to come over the top, crash or play down.
In the Air Raid, wide receivers have the ability to post in a direction they feel a safety is not headed. There is a lot of freedom within the Air Raid offense to make these decisions, placing a large burden on defenders as they need to be able to cover in open space.
Freedom in route-running for Georgia’s wide receivers were on display against Auburn last week to go along with the Bulldogs’ running attack.
“Monken did not come in to blow things up, he came in to add bits and pieces to make it better,” Bridgford said. “They have had tremendous success running the ball the past few years with pro-style concepts. They are only going to get better when they are adding these spread-type concepts that Monken brings in.
“Every quarterback loves play-action. There is nothing better than making a play-fake then looking down the field and seeing all of the linebackers that have been brought up from that play-fake because there is actually a threat there. You just have guys that are on crossers, dig routes and running naked because you can just throw the ball in there without having to maneuver around anybody. The spread concepts can still remain with a pro-style-type set under center with play-action – you can still run Y-Cross and Y-Sail. I think it is a good combination for Georgia.”
“Monken has a strong background in coaching wide receivers. He is as good as it gets when it comes to coaching receivers. He obviously played quarterback, so he has that perspective and quarterbacks know what they like. Certain guys give certain indicators better for when they run their routes than others. The best thing he does is teach.” — Allan Bridgford on the freedom wide receivers have under Todd Monken
Jim Chaney, Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Part of the Tennessee-Georgia matchup is Jim Chaney being in his second season as the Vols’ offensive coordinator. Chaney served in the same capacity at Georgia from 2016-18 under Smart.
Since Chaney’s departure from Georgia, Smart has been searching for an answer for his replacement.
After one season without Chaney, Propst viewed Georgia’s offense last year as one that “needed freshening up” with someone like Monken coming in.
“He is a smart guy and knows how to sort of integrate it into what they are doing,” Propst said of Monken arriving at Georgia. “It needed freshening up. I really think Georgia is going to make it very difficult on people to defend them.”
Propst is familiar with both Monken and Pruitt and views Saturday’s matchup as one where Tennessee will have their “work cut out this week” in preparation, as UT “is going to have to determine what Bennett can do in this Air Raid offense that can affect him.”
Pruitt served as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Hoover High School from 2004-06 under Propst. Propst has ran Air Raid principles since his Hoover days, allowing for Pruitt to coach against the scheme before it was widespread throughout the sport.
Propst’s offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey at Hoover (2007) coached under Monken at Southern Miss from 2014-15.
“You take Jeremy Pruitt, I know what defensive strategist he is, he has his work cut out this week,” Propst said of Tennessee preparing for Monken and Georgia. “He is going to have to defend, not only the throw game in the Air Raid stuff that he knows — Jeremy knows it because he went against it in practice, against me, everyday. He knows what hurts it, where you are vulnerable in certain coverages, certain things, how to blitz it, how not to blitz it, whether to drop eight and rush three, whether to rush four, what coverages hurt certain things, but now you have to get all of that stuff taught with run fits.
“There is only a certain amount of time during practice that you can spend on run fits, plus all of the other stuff, as far as whether you are zone blitzing it or man blitzing it, or whatever Jeremy brings. It has only loaded his plate double the amount. Jeremy is not a dummy, I promise you that. He has been knowing this quite sometime when Todd was hired.”
The entire show with Bridgford and Propst can be listened to here or below.
Vols have ‘a great player and teammate’ in Sayeed Shah.
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee is two days away from opening its 2020 season that has been altered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020 campaign will feature a 10-game SEC-only schedule. Contact tracing of COVID-19 will be at the forefront of the altered season and will place student-athletes who test positive in quarantine, resulting in missing games.
Non-scholarship players will provide more of a role within game week preparation and on game day this season.
Freshman linebacker Sayeed Shah can do just that for the Vols this season. The 6-foot-3, 233-pound freshman is from Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California.
Shah can play the SAM linebacker position and has the ability to come off the edge with good vision.
KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 – Linebacker Sayeed Shah #47 of the Tennessee Volunteers during 2020 Fall Camp practice on Haslam Field in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Caleb Jones/Tennessee Athletics
He played high school football alongside USC quarterback commit Jake Garcia. Garcia transferred from Narbonne to Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Georgia since football is not being played this fall in California. The USC commit is playing for Rush Propst who is in his first season as head coach.
Garcia told Vols Wire that Tennessee has a team player in Shah this season.
“He’s a great player and teammate, and a great kid,” Garcia said of Shah. “He’s a leader and that’s something you can’t teach. He will help pick you up if you are down and help to keep you level-headed if you are too excited.”
Garcia was offered by Tennessee on January, 31, 2019.
VALDOSTA – Rush Propst debuted Friday night as head coach at Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Georgia.
The Wildcats defeated Warner Robins, 28-25, in its season-opening game. Kicker Angel Martinez connected on a 41-yard field goal with 25 seconds left to give Valdosta the win.
Ugly win….but I liked the way our Wildcats fought back! We knew all week we would face adversity. A life lesson was learned tonight! The Demons brought their A game! Great team! Good luck the rest of the season! Class act football team. #Go Cats!
Valdosta’s quarterback, Jake Garcia, is a USC commit and is from California. With the California Interscholastic Federation suspending its football season this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic, Garcia made the move to Valdosta last month to be able to play his senior campaign. He is slated to enroll early in the spring at USC.
Garcia threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns in his debut under Propst.
Propst has won seven state and one national championship during his coaching career at Colquitt County and Hoover High School. Propst hired Jeremy Pruitt at Hoover in 2004.
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
