UT Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt fires back at Aaron Murray criticism

Blake Toppmeyer | Knoxville

ATLANTA — Jeremy Pruitt doesn't think he'd be where he is today – the head coach of an SEC program – if he didn't know how to treat people.

In that way, he thinks Aaron Murray is wrong.

Murray, the former Georgia quarterback who is now an analyst for CBS Sports Network, criticized the first-year Tennessee coach and questioned whether he was fit to be a head coach during an interview Tuesday on Nashville radio station 102.5-FM.

Murray said Pruitt treated a former boss, Georgia coach Mark Richt, poorly, isn't CEO material and questioned whether Pruitt has the demeanor to interact with university brass and program donors.

"I look at it like this: Fifteen years ago, I was a kindergarten teacher, and today I’m the head coach at Tennessee," Pruitt said when asked whether Murray's criticism was fair. "So you probably don’t make that ascension unless you know how to treat people.”

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Pruitt and Murray have the Richt connection, though their time at Georgia didn't overlap.

Murray, the SEC's all-time career passing leader, played for Georgia from 2009-13. He had a 4-0 record as a starting quarterback against the Vols.

Pruitt was the Bulldogs' defensive coordinator in 2014-15.

Pruitt said he doesn't know Murray but has "a lot of respect for what kind of player he was."

Pruitt's capabilities as a defensive coordinator are unquestioned. He stewarded Florida State to the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation in 2013, and the Seminoles won the national title. He spent the past two seasons at Alabama, and the Crimson Tide led the nation in scoring defense each year. His defenses ranked in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense in his two seasons at Georgia.

Along the way, Pruitt believes he's shown what type of coach he is.

“I would like to think that I’m a players’ coach," Pruitt said. "The reason I’m in this game is because I want to have a positive impact on young people. Our guys, I think, know that. I think everywhere I’ve ever been, it’s all about your players. Your players are your best recruiters, and if you help them get what they want, that’s kind of why you’re in the business.”

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