Jeremy Pruitt is putting the finishing touches on his staff at Tennessee. He reportedly hired his strength and conditioning coach on Friday night. And now he looks to have his director of player personnel. And he took him away from an SEC rival.
According to a report from 247Sports, Pruitt has hired Drew Hughes to be the Vols’ director of player personnel. Hughes had served in that same position with Florida since 2014. Will Muschamp hired him for the position, and Jim McElwain retained him once he was hired. Even the Gators’ newest coach, Dan Mullen, kept him on staff to help put together Florida’s early signing period class.
Now, however, Hughes is set to join Tennessee’s staff.
Last year, Hughes had reportedly left Florida’s staff to join Muschamp at South Carolina. But then other reports came out that denied the initial claim, and Hughes ended up staying with McElwain and the Gators after all.
Hughes and Pruitt worked together on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama from 2007-11.
The director of player personnel plays a vital role in recruiting and player support once those players are enrolled. They typically scout and evaluate recruits, help with recruiting strategy, and can act as a liaison between departments for the players once they’re on campus.
