Jeremy Pruitt must find his answers to find the answer

As Jeremy Pruitt's search for a new offensive coordinator moves into the middle of Week 3, there are more questions than answers.

And honestly, that's not a bad thing because for Jeremy Pruitt, he has to get his answers to his questions in an effort to find the right guy for his program.

A source inside the program tells Volquest that Pruitt won't make a hire before the early signing period. Why? Because he is looking to find someone who checks all the boxes.

One of the biggest factors in finding a new offensive leader is recruiting, a source close to the program told Volquest. Pruitt knows this firsthand. As a defensive coordinator, Pruitt was an outstanding recruiter and wants that out of this hire, too.

That's not always the case with some coordinators because they focus on game planning and sometimes neglect the future of the program. The first-year head coach fully understands the value in having prominent people on the recruiting trail that understand the inner working details and gamesmanship involved in the lifeblood to the program.

It's also a part of the reason that Pruitt has been slow in this process. He's working to finish the early signing period for the 2019 class, and from all accounts, it won't hurt Tennessee significantly by not having an offensive coordinator.

The other factor is fit, where Pruitt never had that in his first season. It was right at a year ago, he hired Tyson Helton to lead his offense. The two knew each other from Helton's time at UAB over a decade ago, when Pruitt was a high school coach at Hoover. Outside of that, the two had never worked together the way Pruitt had with Kevin Sherrer, Charles Kelly, Tracy Rocker, Brian Niedermeyer and Chris Weinke, plus countless other support staff members.

That's not to say you have to have a past with Pruitt to be successful. David Johnson's group grew a good amount in his first year working with Pruitt.

While the offense did show flashes in games against Auburn, South Carolina and Kentucky, it just wasn't consistent and the play-calling was very much lacking at times. Tennessee was terribly predictable on certain downs like their desire to run, run and run on first down.

Fortunately for Pruitt, Helton moved on to a head coaching spot at Western Kentucky, which gives him a chance to right a wrong from his inaugural staff. Pruitt, an avid golfer in his limited downtime, is getting what he would call a mulligan. And after finding the right rough in Year 1, he has to take an extra practice swing or two with this mulligan. This time, he has to find the find the fairway to get his program on the green in regulation.

To this point, Pruitt has had many conversations with coaches all over college football about his open spot. He interviewed Hugh Freeze early on in his search. As did Auburn and Florida State, with Alabama also speaking to the former Ole Miss head coach. In the end, Freeze landed the head coaching spot at Liberty. Why? Because he likely wasn't going to get the green light to coach in the SEC or ACC.

Since then, Pruitt interviewed Houston offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, Central Florida quarterbacks coach Jeff Lebby and Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.

Some of those names are 'hot' or 'sexy' names to hire, but it goes back to fit. Do they fit the SEC? Do they fit what Pruitt is looking for or his other coaches on the staff?

There have been many 'sexy' hires over the years and sometimes they pay off, but sometimes they just don't mesh with the school, league, or talent they are coaching. The last two coordinator searches at Tennessee are perfect examples. Butch Jones knew he wanted Mike DeBord and the fans weren't exactly thrilled with the hire. All DeBord did was set records in his two seasons in Knoxville. Then there is the curious case of Bob Shoop, who was the 'hot' name at the time. He had been successful at Vanderbilt, Penn State and just about everywhere he had been. At Tennessee, he was a disaster. But look at him now with Mississippi State, where his unit ranked near the top nationally.

Much like Pruitt's first season, Tennessee has been a program that has shown flashes in the last decade since they last played for a conference championship. But for the most part, the Vols have lacked consistency across the board. Four head coaches, countless coordinators and strength coaches have taken its toll. None of that is earth shattering news, but it is tangible evidence that there is no reward to rush.

Had Tennessee not rushed the Derek Dooley hire and went the Ohio State/Luke Fickell route with Kippy Brown, things may not have spiraled like it did. That was obviously for the head coaching position, but the wrong coordinator hire can spiral into a head coaching search. Pruitt's boss, Phillip Fulmer and his predecessor, Butch Jones both know that to be true.

That's not to insinuate that Pruitt is in jeopardy after one season. That would be foolish, but more to point out that both Fulmer and Jones didn't get a do-over after just one year. They made their hires late in their tenures. So while the questions still flood Rocky Top daily as those that passionately follow this program want answers, Pruitt goes quietly about his business looking for his own answers.

The question is simple, who can answer Jeremy Pruitt's questions best?