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The Rocky Top roller coaster is officially over. From fans revolting against the Greg Schiano hire, to getting turned down by Mike Gundy, Dave Doeren, Jeff Brohm and whoever else I’m missing, to the firing of former AD John Currie, and whatever happened to Mike Leach, Volunteer fans can finally relax. Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt was introduced as the twenty-sixth head coach in Tennessee football history during a Thursday evening press conference. Pruitt signed a six-year deal that will pay him $3.8 million annually. Pruitt, however, will finish out the College Football Playoff as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. This will be his first head coaching job. Fun fact: three of the four CFP head coaches had no prior head coaching experience.

Members of the new Volunteer staff have yet to be officially announced. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reports that Georgia OLB coach Kevin Sherrer is expected to be named defensive coordinator along with former Georgia DL coach Tracy Rocker and current Florida DL coach Chris Rumph joining the defensive staff as well. Colorado State OC and OL coach Matt Friend is will join the staff as OL coach as well as Colorado State DB coach and former Vol Terry Fair. Friend was Pruitt’s roommate at the University of Alabama. Robert Gillespie, Tennessee’s prized running backs coach, will be retained as well. Tyson Helton, not Tee Martin, is expected to be named offensive coordinator.

Jeremy Pruitt is a Rainsville, Alabama native who played defensive back at Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Alabama. His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Alabama before bouncing around the high school ranks before a stint at West Alabama as defensive backs coach. Pruitt also served as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at the coveted Hoover High School, where he won an Oscar for his performance in the MTV show Two-a-Days. Okay, that obviously did not happen, but he did win two state titles. Pruitt then went back to Alabama for five years as defensive backs coach before being hired as Florida State’s defensive coordinator in 2013. In his lone season at FSU, the Seminoles ranked number one in scoring defense, number three in total defense, and captured the 2013 BCS National Championship. In 2014, Pruitt joined Georgia as their defensive coordinator. His 2014 squad finished seventeenth in total defense while his 2015 squad finished seventh. Finally, Nick Saban hired Pruitt to return to his alma mater as defensive coordinator. According to Saban, hiring Jeremy Prutt was a “no-brainer.” Jalen Ramsey, Derrick Henry, Reggie Ragland, T.J. Yeldon, and C.J. Mosley were all recruited under Pruitt, along with being nominated as a Broyles Award finalist in 2013 and 2016. With his track record, Pruitt is more than ready to take on the Tennessee coaching job.