HEADLINE

Tennessee’s Pruitt committed minor recruiting violation

Field Level Media

July 10, 2019 at 10:31 pm.

Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt committed a minor recruiting violation in March when he sent a congratulatory tweet about his high school alma mater’s boys basketball team.

Plainview High School in Rainsville, Ala. — where Pruitt played football for his father, Dale — won the Alabama high school basketball tournament this past winter, and Pruitt tweeted his congratulations.

“Congratulations Robi Coker and Plainview High School on back to back State Championships! #2muchblue #PLV,” Pruitt tweeted March 1.

After a Tennessee compliance official saw the tweet, Pruitt took it down. It was up for 37 minutes.

Pruitt broke NCAA bylaw 11.3.2.8, which states, “An athletics department staff member shall not promote or endorse a prospective student-athlete’s team or coach, or an athletics facility that is primarily used by prospective student-athletes.” It was ruled a Level III violation.

Tennesee’s report on the matter said Pruitt thought the tweet was fine because he was an alumnus, and Tennessee football has no current connections to the program. The NCAA and SEC took no action against Pruitt after the Tennessee compliance office administered rules education to Pruitt.

Tennessee reported three other Level III violations in the first half of 2019. One occurred when a non-coaching staff member drove a prospect’s family to and from campus outside of the allowed 30-mile radius for an official visit.

Another occurred when three non-coaching staff members who were not designated to conduct drills led a conditioning session in June.

Pruitt is in his second season leading the Tennessee program. The Volunteers went 5-7 in 2018.