The news of Jeremy Pruitt’s imminent ouster at Tennessee has made its way around the college football world. Athol Springs (N.Y.) St. Francis strongside defensive end Jimmy Scott is the only 2022 prospect committed to Tennessee. Scott took a few minutes to explain where his recruitment currently stands and what his next steps look like.

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On Tennessee- “I’ve seen the news about coach Pruitt," Scott said. "I talked to the coaches a week ago maybe. It's unfortunate. It is what it is. Stuff like this happens every day. I'll probably be talking to somebody at Tennessee soon.

“Recruiting for me has never stopped due to the fact that I was only a sophomore when I decided to commit to UT," he said. "My recruitment has never really closed because stuff like this can happen. This is a prime example of why. The whole Tennessee coaching staff, from coach Pruitt to coach Oz to everyone who recruited me, I've built great relationships with and I wish them the best.”

On the other schools involved in his recruitment- “Most of the schools that have offers from have stayed in touch," said Scott. "I've been in communication with pretty much all the schools that I have offers from.

“The relationships that I've built with the guys at Rutgers are great," he said. "I took the visit there in March, when I first got the offer from Rutgers. It was coach Schiano's maybe second month at Rutgers. The relationships that I built with the coaching staff there has been great. They've been recruiting me for almost a year now and I know a lot of coaches. They have to do a rebuilding process.

“I’ve heard from Syracuse too," Scott said. "They're one of those schools that never stopped talking to me because I'm so close to them. I appreciate them for that. One of the guys that I got an offer from just got a job at Vanderbilt. As far as Syracuse goes, I'm still hearing from them.

“Coach Robinson from Texas A&M and I have been talking a little bit," he said. "They recruit up here heavily so I've been talk to them.

“Ole Miss is in touch with me as well." said Scott. "Coach, Partridge, coach Kiffin, and coach Durkin, I've been in touch with those guys. I don't know too much about the program. I know coach Kiffin has a good coaching background and he's always fired up. Coach Durkin has been around football for a while. There are definitely some good guys at Ole Miss.

“West Virginia was my last offer so I've been talking to them weekly," he said. "The same thing with Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh had one of the top defensive lines in the nation, if I'm not mistaken. They definitely got some good coaching at Pittsburgh.

“I’ve done a few virtual visits and I have some coming up in the future," Scott said. "Arkansas is planned and so is Maryland. I'll do my virtual visits with them in the next week or so.

“I don't know too much about Arkansas," he said. "They were one of those schools that pressed the reset button. I know they got a good coaching staff. This year was kind of messed up doing COVID so they'll probably be back strong next year.

“Mike Locksley is a great coach," said Scott. "I don't know too much about them and my position but I know he's a good coach.

“I’ve already done virtual visits with West Virginia, Rutgers, and Ole Miss," he said. "I also have one with N.C. State coming up in a week or so. I've been talking Arkansas, N.C. State, Arizona State, and all the other schools too.”

Scott’s recruitment is obviously far from over. If he is still committed to the Vols once the new coaching staff is in place, they will certainly address his commitment. In the meantime, it’s obvious Scott has been making sure he’s prepared in case his commitment to Tennessee doesn’t pan out. He’s already done many virtual visits and he has a few more coming up. Expect Scott to continue getting to know other coaches and schools until he either reaffirms his commitment to Tennessee or decommits. For now, it is far too early to point to any school and say they are in a position to end up with his commitment.