Former Tennessee HC Jeremy Pruitt six-year show-cause order: "Hundreds of infractions" for the Volunteers as they are penalized $8 million

A bombshell report came in regarding the Tennessee Volunteers football program as there have been "hundreds of infractions" over the previous three seasons. The majority of the violations involved recruiting class violations and direct payments to prospects, current players and their families.

The Division I Committee on Infractions panel released a statement on the penalties, which include five years of probation and a reduction of 28 football scholarships:

"The panel encountered a challenging set of circumstances related to prescribing penalties in this case. The panel urges the Infractions Process Committee and the membership to clearly define its philosophy regarding penalties – which extends beyond postseason bans – and memorialize that philosophy in an updated set of penalty guidelines."

The Tennessee football program avoided being banned from bowl games. However, Tennessee was fined more than $8 million for its violations.

Former Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt, who led the program from 2018 to 2020, received a six-year show-cause order. He also would be suspended for the first year of whatever contract he would receive if hired by another NCAA program. He has not coached high-level football since being part of the New York Giants in 2021.

To read the full list of penalties and infractions, click here as the NCAA released the complete findings.

Are the Tennessee Volunteers getting a slap in the wrist here?

There is no way the Tennessee Volunteers were going to be given the death penalty for their importance to college football history. The NCAA stated that the fine was equivalent to what the school would miss out on for missing the postseason in both 2023 and 2024.

While there is no death penalty for the college football program or a bowl ban, this is a serious punishment for the Vols. The Tennessee Volunteers football program has not issued a statement in response to the punishment.

Tennessee did the smart thing and had a series of self-imposed sanctions to lessen the NCAA blow. UT was not charged with a lack of institutional control when the charges were first announced last year, so that lessened the potential scope of penalties that could be dished out.

While the two major punishments – a postseason ban or a death penalty – were not in play, these were still some serious penalties levied by the NCAA. It will be interesting to see what the Vols say during the SEC Media Days next week.