Alabama wasted little time filling Kirby Smart's vacant defensive coordinator position, though it remains to be seen when Jeremy Pruitt will actually start.
Citing unnamed sources, ESPN learned Alabama has an agreement in place with Pruitt, who was Georgia's defensive coordinator for the last two seasons. Shortly after Georgia fired Mark Richt, the school hired Smart, Alabama's defensive coordinator.
However, Smart appears to be staying on Nick Saban's coaching staff throughout Alabama's College Football Playoff run, meaning Pruitt would have to wait to start his new job. Whereas Richt will not coach Georgia in its bowl game, it is unclear if Pruitt will do so.
Regardless, Alabama has its new defensive coordinator for when Smart finally does leave his post, as an unnamed source told AL.com the hiring "is going to happen." Additionally, an unnamed source told The Macon Telegraph he held a meeting with Georgia's defensive players announcing his departure.
Pruitt played defensive back at Alabama from 1995 to 1996 and was a graduate assistant there in 1997. He returned to Tuscaloosa as a director of player development from 2007 to 2009 before being named the defensive backs coach from 2010 to 2012. Pruitt then served as Florida State's defensive coordinator for the 2013 season before taking the same job at Georgia.
Since 2010, Pruitt-coached defensive backfields have been among the best in the nation. From 2010 to 2015, Alabama, Florida State, and Georgia's defenses have allowed an average of 153.7 passing yards per game and ranked among the nation's best each season.
