Jeremy Pruitt has lambasted his defense before.

He did it multiple times last spring, including after the first full day in pads.

So after the third spring practice of 2019 it was no surprise to hear Tennessee’s head coach back at it again Monday, only adding some spice to his criticism this year by saying, “the offense kicked the defense’s tail about as bad I’ve seen in a padded practice.”

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Monday’s presser was fairly typical, as Pruitt, who has coached many of the best college defenses in the last five years, bemoaned a lack of attitude from a unit he holds to serious standards. He didn’t call anybody out by name but was frustrated by a lack of takeaways and physicality.

Conversely, the second-year head coach was complimentary of the offense, noting the unit was productive on third down, didn’t commit many penalties and executed on a consistent basis. He never named a single player or unit that performed well either.

Again, typical.

But on the final question of the presser, I asked Pruitt what he’d seen from quarterback Jarrett Guarantano through three spring practices.

He started his answer by saying, “(JG) has more experience than the other guys” before quickly shifting his comments away from Guarantano and toward the inexperience of freshmen JT Shrout and Brian Maurer.

Again, fairly typical. By now, Pruitt is quite savvy at disarming questions and answering whatever it is he actually wants to say at that moment.

But then suddenly, Tennessee’s head coach pivoted back to Guarantano and proceeded to deliver the most effusive praise he’s given the fourth-year quarterback since he took over as head coach.

"I think the game has really slowed down for Jarrett. He’s played a lot of ball. He’s taken a lot of hits. I think we all understand that really doesn’t bother him. I think he’s got a pretty good understanding for what we’re trying to do. He knows how to prepare. I think it’s been really positive. That’s how the quarterback position should be."

For many coaches, to call the above comments effusive would probably be hyperbolic. Not Pruitt.

This was night and day compared to how he’s spoken about Guarantano in the past.

I even looked around after the press conference ended and made sure I heard what I thought Pruitt said, rhetorically asking aloud, “I think that’s the nicest things he’s ever said about JG.”

Several colleagues nodded in agreement.

A year ago, Guarantano earned MVP honors after the Orange & White Game — a pseudo scrimmage the first-team offense dominated. Tennessee’s quarterback completed 15 of 27 passes for 226 yards and two scores.

After the game, this is what Pruitt said about Guarantano’s performance: “You look at one day’s work out there, that’s not really a true indication of how spring actually went.”

Asked if Guarantano had won the job before Stanford grad transfer Keller Chryst had arrived on campus, Pruitt said, “We will know who our quarterback is probably when we go to Charlotte about halfway through the fourth quarter. We will have a good idea who our quarterback is at that point."

His most biting comment about Tennessee’s quarterback that afternoon?

"How many times do you see a guy throw a ball and the ball goes out of bounds? Me, as a defensive coordinator, I love that. Long foul balls. We are going to throw it out there, but we need to keep it inbounds and give the guys a chance."

Even after Guarantano threw for 300 yards in the upset over Auburn, Pruitt mostly shied away from complimenting his quarterback and talked about the "team win." Same after the win over Kentucky.

But after an all-important offseason, for Pruitt, Guarantano and Tennessee’s entire program, something’s changed this spring.

Perhaps it’s the Jim Chaney effect. Or maybe it’s natural growth from a fourth-year quarterback. Or maybe the comments were just a one-off statement.

We’ll find out in due time.

But whatever the answer is, Pruitt’s newfound bullishness was notable in the moment.

Unlike a year ago, Tennessee didn’t explore the grad transfer market at quarterback to bring in competition for Guarantano.

This is his team now.

If Pruitt believes the “game has slowed down” for the redshirt-junior, then maybe Guarantano has truly turned the corner, has the backing of his head coach and has become the quarterback many Tennessee fans have long hoped for.