Jeremy Pruitt is out in Tennessee. The university fired the third-year coach on Monday amidst an ongoing NCAA investigation, according to The Tennessean and Yahoo Sports. Plus, athletic director Phillip Fulmer is expected to step down as athletic director and retire once his replacement is found, according to multiple reports.
The university and NCAA are investigating alleged recruiting violations within the program. Tennessee has also retained a pair of lawyers to aide in the investigation. Because he is being fired for cause, Tennessee will not pay his buyout clause, which was set for $12,880,000, according to the USA Today coaching salary database.
Breaking: Tennessee has fired head football coach Jeremy Pruitt after an investigation into potential recruiting violations in the program, sources told @ClowESPN and @Mark_Schlabach.
Additionally, athletic director Phillip Fulmer plans to retire, sources said. pic.twitter.com/EBIm4mRp8U
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 18, 2021
Sources: Tennessee will be parting ways with coach Jeremy Pruitt today. AD Phil Fulmer's future will also be addressed.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 18, 2021