Jeremy Pruitt's defensive philosophies might not differ much from Kirby Smart's but his approach in working with players has already been different this spring.

Pruitt, who has taken over for Smart as Alabama's first new defensive coordinator in nearly a decade, has quickly earned a reputation as a players' coach this spring in working with Alabama's defense. Pruitt has the benefit of already knowing players on the roster from either his previous tenure as secondary coach at Alabama or from the recruiting process during recent stops at Florida State and Georgia. He had spent the last two seasons as Georgia's defensive coordinator and was well-liked by his players.

"Coach Pruitt, he's a great teacher of the game," linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton said. "I'm really going to enjoy playing for him. I remember when he first came I could just tell by the way he came off that he'll be a great guy to play for. He knows his stuff, he's been in the system already before so it's not really a big adjustment for him."

Hamilton got to work closely with Smart as an inside linebacker and has gotten the same opportunity this spring with Pruitt. The new Alabama defensive coordinator had previously specialized in the secondary but picked up the inside linebackers once arriving back in Tuscaloosa. Hamilton, who should play a major role in the fall, has only worked with Pruitt for weeks compared to years of experience with Smart, but he's noticed clear differences in the personalities of each on the field.

"I'd probably say Coach Smart is kind of a coach that's a loud guy, a get in your face type guy," Hamilton said. "Coach Pruitt, I won't say he's laid back, because when you make him mad he's definitely going to get on you, but they're just different styles."

Alabama players adored Smart and were sad to see him go when he accepted the Georgia head coaching job. He spent nine seasons at Alabama under Saban and earned a lot of respect for his decision to finish out the season with the Crimson Tide after accepting the UGA job in December.

The transition from Smart to Pruitt has been smooth this spring, though. Defensive end Da'Shawn Hand said there really wasn't much of a noticeable difference on defense.

Pruitt's approach seems to be a big reason why.

Senior linebacker Ryan Anderson has enjoyed working with the new defensive coordinator and reiterated that Pruitt's "players' coach" approach resonates with the team.

"I mean, he brings a different kind of energy," Anderson said. "He's definitely more of a players' coach. A lot of the guys are more willing to sell out for the guy because he's willing to do it for us. It's a different style."