Brian Niedermeyer, one of two Tennessee football assistants fired alongside coach Jeremy Pruitt as part of an NCAA investigation, has landed a new job at a high school in Florida, FootballScoop.com reports.
Niedermeyer was named defensive coordinator at IMG Academy after spending last season as an assistant coach at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, another Florida prep powerhouse.
Both schools are among the top producers of recruits for FBS programs in the country. Tennessee is recruiting at least two players from the IMG Academy in four-star receivers Carnell Tate and Devin Hyatt.
Recruiting is how Niedermeyer got into college football coaching and alleged NCAA recruiting violations are the reason he was sent back to Tennessee as inside linebackers coach.
In January 2021, Pruitt, Niedermeyer, outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton and seven other staff involved in recruiting, player personnel or quality control were terminated for cause.
Last season, Pruitt served as a senior defensive analyst for the New York Giants in his first NFL role in a 25-year coaching career. Giants coach Joe Judge was fired in January, ending Pruitt’s tenure there.
Felton is now the head coach of Valdosta (Georgia) High, one of the most successful programs in the country.
Their dismissals came as Tennessee announced an NCAA investigation into serious recruiting malfeasance that allegedly took place under Pruitt’s watch. In November, Tennessee announced it had completed its internal investigation, but the NCAA did not rule on the case.
PENDING ON NCAA:Why Tennessee’s legal costs in NCAA investigation have dropped as football program awaits findings
NCAA SURVEY:What we know about the Football Vols investigation
SHELTON FELTON:Another fired Tennessee coach finds fresh start in Valdosta
Niedermeyer worked in Florida early in his career. In 2013, he was a volunteer analyst for the Miami Hurricanes. He was a graduate assistant in Georgia (2015) and Alabama (2016), then assistant recruiting director for Crimson Tide (2017) under Nick Saban.
When Pruitt, Alabama’s defensive coordinator, was named coach of Tennessee, he hired Niedermeyer as a tight ends coach in 2018. After two seasons in that role, he moved on to inside linebackers coach.
Niedermeyer was named National Scout of the Year by 247Sports and ESPN in 2019. Less than two years later, he was fired during the NCAA’s investigation into alleged recruiting violations.
Tennessee did not provide details on specific violations, but Chancellor Donde Plowman said some were Level I and Level II, the two most serious categories of NCAA violations.
Contact Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.