The past several years the NCAA has handed out a number of show-cause penalties that lack any real "teeth," as they've been handed to coaches like Jim Harbaugh in the NFL who have no plans to come back to college football.
Now they're backing off the show-cause they previously issued to former Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt back in 2023.
This week, about eight days after the Jacksonville State and the NCAA held a show-cause hearing regarding Pruitt, the NCAA delivered news that Pruitt is clear to join the staff of Charles Kelly as an analyst.
Gamecocks head coach Charles Kelly previously worked under Pruitt at Tennessee and the two worked alongside each other at Florida State.
According to the NCAA, Priutt's suspension would only apply to the remainder of this season, and not 2026, but the show-cause would remain in effect through June of 2029, when it is set to expire, and the new modified terms of Pruitt's show-cause "do not apply to any other institution that should wish to employ" him during the remainder of that period.
Back in June, Jacksonville State asked permission from the NCAA to hire Pruitt, noting the role they had in mind was partially-remote and it would not have Pruitt attend games in-person this season to honor his NCAA suspension.
In allowing Pruitt's return, Jacksonville State must place "specific restrictions in areas where the COI previously concluded violations occurred," and also must "implement a robust monitoring program with shared responsibilities involving the compliance staff, head football coach, director of athletics and university president," the NCAA shared. The school will also be required to submit a report annually detailing how the school has been in compliance with the agreement and exactly what Pruitt's role is on game days in 2026, when his suspension is up.
There are simply not many schools willing to fight a show-cause, but the NCAA applauded the effort and plan Jacksonville State came to the table with, and that ultimately cleared the way for addition of Pruitt with some very clear and specific stipulations for Kelly and his program.
Jacksonville State's approach may provide a blueprint for others looking for a path for the NCAA to back off it's show-cause penalties, as former Michigan and Central Michigan staffers have recently been hit with some of the same discipline in recent months
The NCAA decision comes after Pruitt's attorneys filed a motion earlier this month seeking a preliminary injunction against the organization that would have allowed him to work in college football again after opportunities at multiple colleges popped up for the coaching veteran, and the NCAA recently filed a new motion to dismiss Pruitt's lawsuit against them which he filed back in March seeking $100 million in damages following his 2021 dismissal at Tennessee after the NCAA investigation.
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