How much is former Tennessee HC Jeremy Pruitt's net worth?
Jeremy Pruitt is best known for his controversial role in numerous recruiting violations while coaching the Tennessee Volunteers. After the NCAA handed him a hefty punishment on Friday, here's a look at his net worth after the university fired him to avoid paying his $12.8 million buyout.
He is best known for his time as the defensive backs coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide, with whom he won the national championship twice. He also won a championship as a defensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Pruitt signed a six-year contract as head coach of Tennessee in 2017 worth $3.68 million a year. The value of his contract was pegged at $22.8 million over the six-year period.
Jereny Pruitt Net worth
Pruitt was named among the 30 highest-paid coaches in the nation due to his mammoth Volunteer salary. He has a reported net worth of $6 million, collected over his extensive coaching career.
When he was fired by Tennessee, his buyout of $12.8 million was not paid to him due to the circumstances of his dismissal. Pruitt's salary was also due to go up to $4.2 million after he penned a contract extension to 2025, but he was fired before it came into effect.
Jeremy Pruitt reveals his game plan for Alabama. I’d love to see a team do this. https://t.co/HV4J3f3J69
The Jeremy Pruitt scandal
Jeremy Pruitt, his staff, and his wife, Casey East Pruitt, were all implicated in the recruiting violations scandal while he coached the Tennessee Volunteers.
After an internal investigation by the university, Pruitt was fired in January 2021 for his part in multiple recruiting violations.
Apparently, Jeremy Pruitt and his staff recruited prospects with impunity even during the NCAA-mandated dead period during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were found guilty of the charges of impermissible cash and benefits to prospects totaling up to $60,000.
Pruitt and his staff were charged with 18 NCAA violations and over 200 individual infractions. The violations cover 29 recruits and 10 active players for the Volunteers.
The NCAA handed down one of its harshest penalties on Friday to Jeremy Pruitt for his part in the scandal. He was handed a six-year show-cause penalty. The penalty means that he would be suspended for a whole year if he were to be employed by a program that's a member of the NCAA.
The Volunteers were hit with a five-year probation, an $8 million fine and were ordered to vacate all the victories that were achieved with the ineligible players.
They escaped a bowl ban due to their extensive cooperation with the NCAA.
Recently, the former HC joined an Alabama high school as a PE teacher. It became a hot topic of discussion in the CFB world because his followers believed that it was actually an embarrassment for him to get demoted. Official comments from his end is yet to arrive.