New Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt will serve as defensive coordinator for Alabama through its College Football Playoff run.
Pruitt, 43, hit the road recruiting almost immediately after his introductory news conference.
He has until December 18 to conduct official visits on campus and meet recruits in their own homes. Then, the "dead period," when coaches are not allowed to contact recruits, starts. The new early signing period starts December 20 and runs through December 22.
"I work for the University of Tennessee, I'm all in at the University of Tennessee," Pruitt said. "We're going to do the best we can to start going in the right direction."
Once Pruitt finishes his first leg of recruiting, he'll return to the Alabama Crimson Tide for the team's Sugar Bowl preparation.
Alabama will play Clemson on New Year's Day, and Pruitt expects to honor his commitment to his former employer and coach them to a national championship title.
"I also have a commitment to the kids that I sat in their homes with their parents and recruited them to go to the University of Alabama," Pruitt said. "Coach [Nick] Saban has been wonderful to me. I wouldn't be here today without his help
"I'm going to coach those kids," Pruitt continued. "Because at the end of the day, it's about those guys. It's about the kids in this business. That's why we're here."
Coaching in a high-profile, nationally-televised playoff game could aid Pruitt's recruiting efforts with the Vols during the dead period, which ends January 11.
"I think it's a plus for the University of Tennessee," Athletics Director Phillip Fulmer said. "The exposure that will come from that, the prospects understand, the parents understand this is a guy that's a leader...We know what leadership looks like here, we've had great leadership in the past, and now we've got it again."
Ryan Callahan of GoVols247 agreed.
"Every time he's talked about on TV, they're going to be mentioning the fact that he's Tennessee's new head coach," Callahan said Thursday night. "That's good publicity for Tennessee, gets them some attention they might not otherwise get coming off a 4-8 season.
"I think i only helps and something that Jeremy Pruitt can reach out to his recruits with and say 'Hey, I'm going to be in the College Football Playoff, watch me on TV in a few days,'" Callahan said. "It's something that helps Tennessee even though it's Alabama he's representing officially on the field."