Reports: Tennessee notified by NCAA of 18 football recruiting violations

The Tennessee Volunteers football program is facing serious sanctions after it was notified by the NCAA of 18 infractions, according to reports from Sports Illustrated and Knox News.

The recruiting violations reportedly happened during Jeremy Pruitt's three-year tenure as the Vols' head coach from 2018 to 2020. In January 2021, Pruitt was fired by the university after an internal investigation found multiple recruiting violations occurred under his watch. One report said the team's brazen infractions included handing bags of cash to recruits.

"You literally had bag men," Dan Patrick said on his show. "They put the cash in McDonald's bags and handed it to the recruits. My source said they were so in your face with this — they weren't even trying to hide it."

According to Knox News, the notice of allegations from the NCAA says Pruitt, his wife, assistant coaches, recruiting staff, and a booster combined to give "almost $60,000 of cash or gifts" to players. All 18 violations are Level I — the NCAA's most serious level — and include an allegation that Pruitt's wife paid more than $15,000 in rent and car payments for a player and his mother.