Alabama Football: Negative recruiting tactics not used by Jeremy Pruitt

Recruiting at most FBS schools is a turf war. Schools fighting Alabama football for prospects often go negative but apparently not Jeremy Pruitt.

In college football and basketball recruiting, tactics are measured more by success than ethics. The range of ‘acceptable’ recruiting standards runs from aggressive to dirty. Outside the range of NCAA rule-breaking recruiting, standards of recruiting behavior are highly subjective. Do some schools recruit ‘against’ Alabama football more than ‘for’ their own programs?

To the extent that negative recruiting is being used against Nick Saban and Alabama football, Jeremy Pruitt may be the exception. Alabama football fans are not a trusting group when Crimson Tide coaches leave for hated rivals. Many years ago, Bill Oliver left Tuscaloosa for Auburn and immediately destroyed any future opportunity to be Alabama’s head coach.

Jeremy Pruitt going to Tennessee did not sit well with many Alabama football fans. Particularly galling was that Pruitt’s new boss would be the reviled Phil Fulmer. Fulmer was once the master of negative recruiting against the Tide.

What about the recruiting approaches of Alabama football coaches? Recruiting for top programs is an ongoing battle. No one expects the participants to behave as choirboys. Most fans want their programs to adhere to a high ethical standard. The programs at some schools, one of which is Alabama football, can recruit successfully without recruiting against other programs.

Nick Saban regularly tells recruits to let him respond to any negative a recruit hears from other schools. No doubt, most other coaches are using Saban’s age against him. It happened to Bear Bryant for a decade before he retired.

Rumors of negative recruiting are common. There is a current rumor a northern school told a 2018 recruit something untrue about a Tide assistant.  That assistant was sent on a visit to dispute the rumor.

Tennesee will have recruiting success under Jeremy Pruitt

Jeremy Pruitt is a top recruiter. At the end of the 2018 recruiting cycle, top Tide targets, some once Tide verbal commits, will likely sign with Tennessee. Top linebacker and longtime Alabama football ‘lock’ J. J. Peterson committed to Tennessee after Pruitt’s departure. Tide commit and top linebacker, Quay Walker may end up with the Vols.

The Tide and the Vols are competing for other players. One of those players is 3-Star, cornerback Eddie Smith. Smith made these comments after a recent visit to Knoxville.

"He (Pruitt) didn’t say anything negative about Alabama. That’s what I like. I don’t like a coach to come here and say negative things about any other program. Pruitt said that Alabama is a great program and it’s always going to be a great program, but he knows that he’s going to make Tennessee a better program."

Perhaps, even with the negative influence of a sleazy Phil Fulmer, Jeremy Pruitt is a college football exception. If so, we hope Jeremy can maintain that standard.

Next: All-Time Alabama Football Team

Past Alabama football coordinators, Kirby Smart and Jim McElwain experienced different results recruiting in the SEC. Kirby has done well amidst rumors he does not shy away from going negative against his former boss. McElwain was never rumored to use negative tactics against Alabama. He is currently unemployed and his ‘high-road’ approach may have damaged his career.