Report: Pruitt to interview at Michigan
ATHENS — As Georgia’s staff situation remains in flux, defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt continues to explore his options, one of which is apparently up north.
Pruitt is “tentatively” set to interview at Michigan later in the week, reported Mlive.com, citing a report by 247Sports. That would mean working for Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, in what would certainly be a blend of fiery personalities. Pruitt has spent his entire football career, playing and coaching, in the deep South.
New Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has made nothing official about his new staff, though he said Monday that Glenn Schumann, formerly a player development coordinator at Alabama, would “probably” have an on-field role at Georgia. But he didn’t say where.
Pruitt worked with Smart at Alabama and just finished a regular season in which his pass defense led the nation and defense as a whole was No. 9 in yards allowed. But it’s not clear whether Smart plans to offer him a chance to stay around.
All that has been said so far is that Bryan McClendon, the receivers coach, will be the interim coach through the bowl. And McClendon said Sunday he expects the remaining staff to coach in the bowl. Sometimes that does happen, sometimes it doesn’t, with it depending on what kind of job the coach is getting: Last year Mike Bobo gave up his offensive coordinator duties in mid-December so he could get started as Colorado State’s head coach, but offensive line coach Will Friend coached in Georgia’s bowl before leaving to join Bobo.
There are defensive coordinator options for Pruitt: Michigan became available after D.J. Durkin was named the head coach at Maryland, Alabama is open now with Smart leaving, and Auburn is open after Will Muschamp got the South Carolina job.
If Pruitt and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer aren’t coming back, there is a financial reason for Georgia not to make it official: Both would be owed, since they’re signed for two more seasons, the remainder of their contract if they’re fired: Pruitt would get $2.6 million and change, Schottenheimer $1.8 million and change. So it would behoove Georgia, if they’re not going to be retained, for each to leave on their own before they are not in fact retained.
But Georgia was also willing to eat the $4.1 million buyout on Mark Richt’s contract, so money shouldn’t be an overriding factor in the staff decisions.
