Fulmer and Pruitt advocate freedom for grad transfers

NASHVILLE — Many college coaches call the number of transfers in college athletics an epidemic. There are more players moving from one school to another than ever before. Many of those are now graduate transfers which means the transferring player is eligible immediately at the school they move to. It's what Alabama's Nick Saban has referred to as “free agency."

Saban has made it clear he's against the ability for a grad transfer to go where ever he chooses. In 2016, Saban did all he could to block Alabama cornerback Maurice Smith from transferring to Georgia. Ultimately, Smith won an appeal with the SEC preventing Saban from blocking him. Currently, Saban is trying to do the same with backup offensive lineman Brandon Kennedy, who would like the option to go to Tennessee or Auburn.

This spring, Tennessee has been a major player in the grad transfer market, adding running back Mondre London from Michigan State, quarterback Keller Cryst from Stanford and kicker Ryan Tice from Michigan. They also were a finalist for defensive backs Terrence Alexander and Nick Harvey. Pruitt has not ruled out the idea of continuing to take more grad transfers in the class of 2018, with Kennedy looking like the biggest possibility at this point.

At Thursday's Big Orange Caravan stop in Nashville, Pruitt was asked his thoughts on Saban's stance. Pruitt wouldn't address Saban's comments specifically, but the first-year head coach did reflect on his experience as a transfer and indicated players should be able to go where they want to go.

“I can't comment on anybody that's transferring,” Pruitt said. “I know me personally, I played my first two years at Middle Tennessee State for Boots Donnelly. I actually started for him for two years. I had a very good experience. I loved the players I played with. I loved the coaching staff that I played for. There was a time there where I was happy at Middle Tennessee.

"I was not disgruntled, but I wanted to go play at a school that I had always dreamed of playing at and I was allowed to do that. They let me do it. I didn't sit out. I went and played and I didn't get to play much at that school. I was just a reserve player there. It's kind of funny, the other day I was getting ready to go to Memphis and coach Donnelly called me. We were talking on the phone and he said, 'I want you to know, I was proud of you when you played for me and I'm proud for you today. If you need any help, let me know.' So, I look at it from my circumstance. I'm thankful he gave me the opportunity to kind of go fulfill my dreams.”

Wednesday, Pruitt was a guest on SportsTalk on WMNL radio in Knoxville and he was even clearer on his stance, saying it wasn't his right to dictate where someone could go to school.

“The big thing when it comes to guys who are grad transfers if they have shown the maturity to do what it takes to get their degree. Obviously I don't think they would be leaving a situation where they feel like they could have continued success so if they have earned their degree then in my opinion they have earned the right to choose where they want to go by their maturity and what they have accomplished,” Pruitt said.

“We have had some guys who elected to leave here. That's there decision and we have supported them. The way I look at it is who am I to help determine where someone is going to go to school. They have earned the opportunity to pick where they want to go.”

Hall of Fame head coach Phillip Fulmer obviously dealt with transfers throughout his career as a coach, and now an athletics director, Fulmer said he wasn't against grad transfers being able to go where they want to go, but said the conference had to be mindful of the numbers of people moving around.

“Being in the conference and seeing how impactful it has been for not only other teams but individual kids, I don't think there's anything in the world wrong with it,” Fulmer said Thursday.

“As a conference we are searching for the right formula if you will that allows it so that it doesn't to spill over to so many kids saying, 'hey I'm second team, I'm going to transfer'. That's not necessarily always the best way to look at it.”