In these “unprecedented times,” Jeremy Pruitt’s typical quarantined day includes an 8:00 a.m. staff meeting, recruiting calls, soaking up some precious moments with his four-month-old daughter and some recreation with his two young sons.

“My wife (Casey) is taking charge (of their schooling),” Tennessee’s head coach said.

“I’m handling the extra curricular actives outside.”

The Vols were supposed to be holding their eighth spring practice on Friday afternoon, but instead, Pruitt was on a 30-minute conference call with reporters discussing the unusual nature of today’s times.

The COVID-19 crisis has essentially hit pause on the college football world, with recruiting being limited to phone calls and FaceTime only, while programs are allowed just two hours a week for chalk talk and film study — all via Zoom.

Pruitt, who is social distancing away from the office at his home in Knoxville, hasn’t had any in-person contact with his team or staff in weeks, and admitted his current focus is not on football at the moment.

“We’re doing very little,” he said.

“The first priority or us is their health and wellness. Not only for them, but them and their family. The next thing for us the academic piece, the school part with everybody across the country doing online classes.”

While the challenges pale in comparison to what many are battling across the country, Pruitt spoke about the new reality facing his football team right now and how his staff is trying to combat those hurdles each day. Some of his players don’t have great access to rehab centers for treatment. Some only have one computer in a house with a family now forced to work from home. Others have limited internet access. Through various means, Tennessee has done what it can to alleviate some of these challenges.

“We’re just making sure we are on top of it and proactive, not reactive,” Pruitt said. “That is something we have been really working hard on to make sure our guys are going to be well when they come back, whenever that is.”

Whenever that is remains the biggest unknown.

Administrators, athletic directors and coaches across the country are discussing all sorts of contingency plans as schools are desperate to hold some sort of college football season — whether it’s one that starts on time, later this fall or next spring. But that notion of uncertainty has caused real unease, yet as Pruitt acknowledged Friday, there’s bigger fish to fry right now with so many continued health implications.

“My first thoughts are with everybody in our country. Football is a sport, it's a great game that's been really good to a lot of us and we love doing it. I know it's tough on everybody, but there's also bigger issues out there right now that are be addressed daily with our government and those in the medical field,” he said. “Whenever that time comes for the season to start, we'll be ready at Tennessee.”

The question then becomes whenever a season does get green-lit how long will teams need to get ready to actually play a football game? Player safety immediately comes into question when guys have had limited nutrition and strength and conditioning work during the moratorium. What about fundamentals and scheme? Long are the days when players would report on Aug. 1 and then have weeks of two-a-days before playing their first game at the end of the month. Alabama coach Nick Saban recently proposed 14 days of teaching before fall camp — all non-contact, no-padded practices that essentially would function like an NFL mini-camp.

Although Pruitt didn’t have a direct timeline answer, he did note that coaches and teams must “use good judgement” with how they handle their teams once they do get them back on campus because every individual is going to be on a different level.

“Every team, every player is going to be different. You have to figure out the guys who are going to help you have success. We don’t know when it’s going to start back, but it’s something we have to be ready for,” he said.

“Everybody is going to lean on the athletic trainers and your strength and conditioning folks to figure out the right timeline. I believe in the people that make these decisions. I think it’s going to be important for each staff to have a really good feel (for their team) because every staff is not going to be the same. Everyone’s conditioning is not going to be the same. So you have to use good judgment and common sense to me.”

For now, Pruitt and his staff are doing their best to keep their players focused on academics and their well-being. Starting this past Monday, Tennessee was able to talk a little football with the players and Pruitt thought it was “good for the players” and “something they want.”

“I think that’s probably more than I thought. From a mental standpoint, it’s probably been good for these guys to get a little bit of normalcy about them, and a chance to communicate about something that they love,” he said.

“It is good for them to stay in contact with each other. It is something that draws everybody to this game, the game of football. It is team-oriented and it takes everybody to have a successful team. This is one of those times during spring ball that you are trying to create the identity of your football team. We don’t really have an opportunity to do that on the field, but we have a chance to do that in other ways and that is something we are working hard to do.”

*** Despite the cancelation of Pro Days before the upcoming NFL Draft, Pruitt did not believe that safety Nigel Warrior, who was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, or wideout Jauan Jennings would be hurt by the lack of opportunities to workout and test in front of scouts and pro personnel.

“These are two guys, who over the past year have put a lot of really good play on tape,” Pruitt said. “They’re very consistent. They both were good playmakers for us. …. There best football is way ahead of them. I don’t think it’s going to hurt them. I think teams are going to see what’s on tape, and they’re bringing them in to play football.”

*** Pruitt will make a “permanent move” in naming Craig Fitzgerald’s replacement when “the time is right to do so.” All indications continue to point toward an in-house promotion within the strength and conditioning staff.

*** With the unlikelihood that colleges will hold any summer evaluation camps, Pruitt believes colleges must lean heavily on their boards and prior information — ala NFL scouting departments with no Pro Days this year.

*** Some folks across college athletics have taken a pay cut to cover for lost revenue, but Pruitt said he has not been approached about that by people at Tennessee.

“No I have not. It is unusual times right now and it is affecting everybody in our country,” he said. Just to start this whole deal, people not having an opportunity to work and it is things that are really out of our control. There is definitely, from our standpoint at the University of Tennessee, we are very sensitive to these situations, which goes back to why we check in every day with our players and their families just to see exactly what their situation is.”