John Parker Wilson says Jeremy Pruitt scares him more than Kirby Smart

Former Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson is back in the headlines today. In a radio interview, Wilson told WJOX in Birmingham that new Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt scares him more than Georgia’s Kirby Smart. Both men come from the Nick Saban coaching tree, each spending time as Alabama’s defensive coordinator.

Here’s the full quote from Wilson.

He scares me more at Tennessee than Kirby does at Georgia. Georgia is going to be good, but down the road, Jeremy scares me more than Kirby at Georgia.

The way he connects with people is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He’s a great recruiter — that’s how he got his start and how he rose so fast through Alabama and then at Florida State. I think what he’s going do at Tennessee, at a place like that, being the only show in town with Tennessee being the only big school in the state, he’s going to do well.

He’s got a higher ceiling than Georgia does. When Tennessee was good, they were recruiting on a national level. I think Jeremy can do that.

I think he’ll be wildly successful at Tennessee. I hope that he has enough success that he can come back and be the head coach at Alabama one day. — John Parker Wilson via WJOX

Add Wilson into the Pruitt believers camp, which is a crowed place these days. His statement that Pruitt scares him more than Kirby Smart is certainly bold. Wilson even entertained the thought of Pruitt heading back to Alabama once Saban retires, which is something that I’ve heard from more than a few people.

If you’re a Tennessee fan, let’s hope that Jeremy Pruitt has done a good enough job for Alabama to come calling one day. Let’s also hope that his blood turns orange by then and we don’t have to go through that process.