Tennessee AD Fulmer says he still believes in Pruitt

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt still has the support of athletic director Phillip Fulmer.

Fulmer said Wednesday night on the “Vol Calls” radio show that “I totally believe in Coach Pruitt and the job that he’s doing.’’

Pruitt is 6-10 at Tennessee and has dropped his last five games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, a stretch that includes a stunning 38-30 loss to 26-point underdog Georgia State. Tennessee carries a 1-3 record into its game Saturday with No. 3 Georgia (4-0).

Fulmer was appointed as Tennessee’s athletic director in December 2017 to take over a tumultuous football coaching search that had gone awry under former athletic director John Currie. One week later, Fulmer hired Pruitt, who was Alabama’s defensive coordinator at the time.

Fulmer, who coached Tennessee to the 1998 national title, added Wednesday that he has no interest in returning to coaching. Fulmer said “the coaching chapter of my life is long closed.”

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25