Josh Heupel won with Jeremy Pruitt's players at Tennessee. Here's how many remain
Josh Heupel revived the Tennessee football program while winning mostly with players handpicked by his predecessor, fired coach Jeremy Pruitt.
That’s a fact.
The 2022 Vols, who went 11-2 and won the Orange Bowl, featured 18 of 22 starters who either played for Pruitt or were signed by him. That included all five UT players picked in the 2023 NFL Draft.
That doesn’t detract from Heupel’s accomplishments. It actually may enhance them because he fit square pegs from Pruitt’s tenure into the round holes of his system, and it worked.
Heupel’s 18-8 record is among the best marks through two seasons in UT history. And his seven wins over ranked teams are the most by a Vols coach through 26 games.
But Heupel’s task has changed going into his third season, which begins Sept. 2 (noon ET, ABC) against Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The 2023 UT team is stocked with players chosen by Heupel, along with notable remnants from Pruitt’s tenure. About three-quarters of the roster and almost half of the starters came to UT after Pruitt was fired and Heupel was hired in January 2021.
That means Heupel’s recruits are finally coming of age this season.
Does that raise expectations for Heupel or simply change them? Consider these roster breakdowns of players brought to UT by Pruitt versus Heupel.
Josh Heupel developed Jeremy Pruitt’s players for 2022 success
Heupel and his staff have excelled by developing players. That was evident in the stars of the 2022 team.
Four of five starting offensive linemen started their careers under Pruitt, including No. 10 overall NFL Draft pick Darnell Wright. So did Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt, All-SEC wide receiver Cedric Tillman, versatile tight end Princeton Fant and most of the defense.
Some of them underachieved under Pruitt but flourished under Heupel.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and All-SEC defensive end Byron Young signed with UT as transfers before Pruitt was fired for cause in January 2021 amid an NCAA investigation into major recruiting violations. But they only played under Heupel.
Overall, players on the 2022 roster were split in terms of how they got to UT, including scholarship players and walk-ons.
There were 60 players signed by Heupel and 57 signed by Pruitt. But almost all the starters during that memorable season were brought to UT by Pruitt.
How many Pruitt players remain on 2023 team?
Heupel doesn’t distinguish between players who came to UT before or after he became coach. After two seasons, they’re all on the same page. And many of the leaders on the 2023 squad played for Pruitt.
“The players have great trust in the culture we want to have and have built,” Heupel said. “We’ve developed stronger leadership. I think all of those things in year three play into us being in a better situation than we were in year one and in a lot of ways year two, too.”
Only 33 of 124 players on the 2023 roster played for Pruitt or were signed by him. But about 13 of 22 projected starters on this season’s team are from that group.
On offense, that includes center Cooper Mays, guards Javontez Spraggins and Ollie Lane, tight end Jacob Warren, running back Jabari Small and wide receiver Ramel Keyton.
And running back Jaylen Wright, the team’s leading rusher in 2022, was a Pruitt signee.
On defense, notable Pruitt players are defensive tackle Omari Thomas, defensive ends Tyler Baron and Roman Harrison, linebacker Aaron Beasley, cornerback Doneiko Slaughter, nickelback Tamarion McDonald and safety Jaylen McCollough.
Which Vols did Heupel handpick?
That means almost half the starters and most of the backups on the 2023 team have only played for Heupel.
The roster turnover from Pruitt to Heupel this season is especially evident on offense.
Transfers like quarterback Joe Milton (Michigan), offensive tackle John Campbell (Miami), offensive tackle Gerald Mincey (Florida), wide receiver Bru McCoy (Southern Cal), wide receiver Dont’e Thornton (Oregon) and tight end McCallan Castles (UC-Davis) were handpicked by Heupel from the portal.
On defense, Heupel added transfers like Gabe Jeudy-Lally (BYU), Kamal Hadden (Auburn), Brandon Turnage (Alabama) and Wesley Walker (Georgia Tech) to fill holes in the secondary. And defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott (Arizona State) and linebacker Keenan Pili (BYU) will debut this season.
Plus, recruits from Heupel’s 2022 and 2023 signing classes will take bigger roles this season.
How Pruitt’s players became Heupel’s players
The connection to Pruitt’s tenure has faded over time.
Despite a quarter of the roster beginning their UT career under Pruitt, those players have closer ties to Heupel’s tenure.
Fifth-year senior cornerback Warren Burrell and sixth-year senior defensive tackle Kurrott Garland are the only remaining players to play more games under Pruitt than Heupel. And that’s because Burrell missed most of last season with an injury and Garland played three seasons under Pruitt, including a COVID-exempt year.
But Pruitt’s players have experienced more big wins, memorable plays and halftime speeches under their current coach than their former one.
Can Heupel win without Pruitt’s players?
There’s a narrative that Heupel is better at developing talented players that he inherits than recruiting them.
At Central Florida, Heupel went 22-4 in his first two seasons while relying largely on players who were signed by former coach Scott Frost. But Heupel had a 6-4 record in his third season as the roster turned over in 2020.
But there are reasonable counter arguments. His 2020 record was skewed by COVID because the season was shortened, practices were affected, and 10 players opted out before the season.
And Heupel’s two head coaching stints aren’t comparable.
The UCF team he inherited had gone 13-0 in 2017. The UT team he inherited had gone 3-7 in 2020, and 37 players entered the transfer portal before Heupel coached his first game for the Vols.
But Heupel’s strong recruiting is the best evidence that the Vols won’t slip as Pruitt’s players phase out.
UT had not signed a top 10 recruiting class since 2015, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. But Heupel’s 2023 class was ranked No. 10. And his 2024 class is No. 6, based on committed recruits who plan to sign with UT in December.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football: Josh Heupel still needs Jeremy Pruitt's players
