Alabama Football: On Pruitt, Golding and what’s next for the Tide

Alabama Football: Nick Saban has a new option for his Crimson Tide defensive staff. What comes next?

Former Alabama Football, Defensive Coordinator, Jeremy Pruitt is now the former Tennessee Vols Head Coach. Pruitt was fired on Monday, bringing some closure to the latest fiasco in Knoxville. As we recently discussed, the mess in Knoxville has been predictably humorous, at least for Alabama football fans.

USA Today’s Dan Wolken fairly described Tennessee’s actions fairly.

"(The firing and resignation) represent yet another attempt by Tennessee to end a stretch of dysfunction that has gone on for more than a decade and turned a once nationally prominent football program into a laughingstock."

According to reports, the Vols will not pay Pruitt a hefty buyout. The recent Vols’ internal investigation succeeded. It laid enough blame on Pruitt for NCAA violations to void his buyout. Tennessee, Athletic Director, Phil Fulmer is retiring. Given Fulmer’s disreputable history, cover given for him to walk away ‘gracefully’ is a joke.

Nick Saban and Alabama Football are poised to benefit from Pruitt’s firing. According to John Talty,

"Jeremy Pruitt has told those around him this year if he gets fired, he’ll just go back to Alabama and work for Saban again."

There is little doubt Nick Saban would welcome Pruitt back to Tuscaloosa. The normal reclamation pattern for Saban is to bring in formerly fired coaches as analysts. That list is long, including Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley, Butch Jones, Mike Stoops, Charlie Strong and others.

If Pruitt is, as his bosses were glad to claim, guilty of serious NCAA violations, the analyst route seems likely. However, Nick Saban may need a new Defensive Coordinator. Steve Sarkisian and Texas are believed to want Pete Golding badly. Alabama football insiders say Golding was offered a big raise by the Longhorns. A subsequent rumor was that Saban had matched the offer in an attempt to retain Golding.

How high Texas and Saban are willing to go in a bidding war is not known. Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide history suggests he will only go so far, leaving Texas an opportunity to perhaps overpay Golding.

There is another factor. Pete Golding may not be willing to have a former Crimson Tide defensive coordinator looking over his shoulder in Tuscaloosa. Even if that former DC comes back only as an analyst.

Nick Saban will be cautious. If the NCAA decides to punish Golding severely, there could be a ‘show cause’ penalty in his future. Such a penalty would not be imposed for at least several months. Saban moving forward with Pruitt before then would mean the ‘show cause’ would not apply to a Crimson Tide hiring. Whether it could affect a future promotion from an analyst to DC is not known.

Alabama football fans will welcome Jeremy Pruitt back whatever the circumstances. He made a huge mistake going to Knoxville, but he will not be tainted forever.