JACKSONVILLE, AL. (WVLT) – It looks like controversial former Tennessee Head Football Coach Jeremy Pruitt has a new gig as a non-coaching analyst at Jacksonville State University. Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Donnie Smith confirmed Friday the NCAA had approved the university’s request to bring him on as an analyst.
Pruitt has spent the last two years as a PE coach at Plainview High School in DeKalb County, Alabama.
“We appreciate the Committee’s thorough and thoughtful review of our proposal and its acknowledgment of Jacksonville State’s commitment to compliance and institutional control,” Vice President for Athletics Greg Seitz said in a statement.
Pruitt lost his spot as the top Vol on Jan. 18, 2021 thanks to a scattering of NCAA rule violations involving recruiting. Specifically, NCAA investigators said Pruitt and his staff gave cash and gifts to recruits, players and their families. The unpermitted gifts allegedly totaled around $60,000.
Those violations have followed him to Jacksonville State, with the university requiring a formal show-cause hearing to put him on the job.
“The [NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions] determined that Jax State demonstrated ‘sufficient cause’ to modify the remaining terms of Coach Pruitt’s show-cause order, allowing his employment in the restricted analyst position as outlined in the University’s compliance proposal,” the university’s statement said. “The modified terms apply exclusively to Jax State through the duration of Coach Pruitt’s show-cause period.”
Seitz said in his statement that the restrictions of his new job were made clear to Pruitt prior to his official hiring.
“Our goal from the beginning was to operate with transparency and integrity, and we’re pleased that the NCAA recognized the strength of our monitoring plan,” Seitz said. “Coach Pruitt understands the expectations that come with this opportunity, and we’re confident he will fully align with the high standards we maintain at Jax State.”
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