NCAA decision on Tennessee violations under Jeremy Pruitt is 'best case' for Vols

The dust has finally settled on the Jeremy Pruitt NCAA violations case, for Tennessee at least — the former Volunteers head football coach might undertake some further appeal or legal action. And getting off without a postseason ban is about as good as things could’ve gone for Tennessee.

Without the ball-and-chain of a bowl ban, On3’s Andy Staples and Volquest’s Brett Hubbs discussed how Tennessee can now turn focus to winning football games in 2023 and beyond. Putting the Pruitt era behind them for good would’ve been a big step, but getting to move on without the punitive measure for the current team is a boon for the Volunteers.

“There is no postseason ban despite hundreds of NCAA violations. Jeremy Pruitt, the former Vols coach, did not get off so light. Six year show-cause. Basically, if he’s hired within the next six years, the new school has to show why he won’t be suspended for the entire first season. Brent Hubbs from Volquest.com joins us now to talk about these penalties which, Brett, this feels like a best case scenario for Tennessee with no bowl ban,” Staples said.

Hubbs concurred.

He noted that throughout the years-long investigation by the NCAA the Tennessee administration had been rather tight lipped, with athletic director Danny White and chancellor Donde Plowman leaning back on the tried-and-true strategy of not commenting on an ongoing investigation.

But there was one point they were consistently hammering home throughout the process.

“Danny White, who wasn’t here for any of this, by the way, and chancellor Donde Plowman, who did remove Jeremy Pruitt from his seat, said throughout the whole 30-month process, ‘We’re not going to comment on the investigation. NCAA has a job to do’ da da da da da da da,” Hubbs said of the comments from the Tennessee admin. “‘But, we’re doing everything we can to protect the current student athlete.’ And the belief was that the current student athletes should not be punished for something they were not responsible for. It’s the only comment they made. We are not accepting a bowl ban.”

The Tennessee administration would’ve pursued an appeal or even a lawsuit had a bowl ban been handed down, Hubbs said, a reflection of how ardent the Volunteers were in their position — one that has since been vindicated by the NCAA’s punishment.

“They would’ve appealed. They would appeal to whatever court level they needed to, if they had to, to prevent the bowl ban from happening. As a result of no bowl ban, now they can continue with their mantra in recruiting, to all their fans, to their current players, everybody, you’re in the business of chasing champions. There’s nothing to block us from chasing a championship. Let’s go chase a championship. And that was Tennessee’s goal from the get-go throughout this whole process,” Hubbs said.