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With rumors swirling, Mark Richt says Jeremy Pruitt is still UGA's DC

sam cooper
College football writer

Jeremy Pruitt is still Georgia’s defensive coordinator.

Multiple reports have surfaced over the past few days indicating that there is growing friction between Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt and Pruitt. And after rumors swirled Thursday morning that Pruitt was fired, Richt sent out a tweet to let the world know that Pruitt still has his job.

The recent reports extend beyond the Richt-Pruitt relationship, however. With the Bulldogs (5-3, 3-3 SEC) losing three of their last four games, including a 27-3 defeat at Florida, support for Richt is reportedly dwindling.

Fox Sports reported that support for Richt among major UGA boosters has “eroded significantly” while the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday that change is coming for the program.

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From the AJC:

To be clear, change is coming at Georgia. It might not be today or even this week, but it’s coming. And we’re not talking about just the quarterback position or the offensive line.

Georgia’s issues at the moment are chiefly with the offense, but it goes beyond that. There is general dysfunction and dissension not only within the team but also within the football staff.

Richt has been issued a directive to fix it, according to several people familiar with the situation. His ability to do that over these final four weeks of the season — as the Bulldogs play Kentucky on Saturday and Auburn, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech after that — will determine not only the futures of some of the coaches on his staff, but Richt’s as well.

On top of that, a Thursday report from USA Today said that Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity “favored a coaching change last season,” but was overruled by school president Jere Morehead. The report also said that Pruitt will “almost certainly not be back” next year, even if Richt keeps his job. USA Today described Pruitt’s with Richt and UGA administrators as “toxic.”

Pruitt came to Georgia in 2014 after serving as the defensive coordinator for Florida State during its 2013 national championship season. Pruitt previously was the defensive backs coach at Alabama from 2010-12.

Georgia’s remaining schedule (Kentucky, Auburn, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech) isn’t exactly challenging, but it remains to be seen if a strong finish will save Richt’s job.

For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!