KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee's football program must vacate all 11 of its wins from the 2019 and 2020 seasons under coach Jeremy Pruitt as part of penalties handed down by the NCAA for multiple violations.
A school spokesman confirmed on Sunday the Vols' eight wins in 2019 and three in 2020 will be vacated and will be reflected in the program's record book.
Pruitt’s final record is now 5-19, and the school's all-time record is 856-410-53.
The decision to vacate those wins caused Tennessee to drop in the Division I Football rankings for total all-time wins. Tennessee formerly sat tied with USC at No. 10 with 867 total wins, but now sits at No. 11 with 856. However, Tennessee did not fall in the Division I rankings when it came to its win percentage over the years. It remains at No. 10 over Georgia with a .669 win percentage, which is down from the .672 before the vacated wins.
The vacated wins are part of the penalties from the NCAA from a report that outlined more than 200 violations during Pruitt's three-year tenure in Knoxville.
Tennessee was fined $8 million and four staffers, including Pruitt, were given show-cause orders for infractions detailed in the more than 80-page report. Pruitt was fired in early 2021 and was given a six-year show-cause order.
The report said Tennessee committed 18 Level I violations, the most severe, and said most involved recruiting infractions and direct payments to athletes and their families — benefits that totaled approximately $60,000.