| 15 January 2010
Apparently the coaching search/twitter circus is over. The University of Tennessee is set to name Lousiana Tech Head Coach/Athletic Director Derek Dooley as the next football coach at UT.
Dooley, son of legendary coach Vince Dooley, comes highly recommended by Alabama coach Nick Saban.
Compared to the 'name' coaches that UT sought, and subsequently turned down by, Dooley is a dark horse. According to Wikipedia.com, Dooley's over all coaching history lines out like this:
| Career highlights | ||
| Overall | 17-20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Bowls | 1-0 | |
| Coaching stats | ||
| College Football DataWarehouse | ||
| Playing career | ||
| 1987-1990 | Virginia | |
| Position | Wide receiver | |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | ||
| 1996 1997-1999 2000-2002 2003-2004 2005-2006 2007-present |
Georgia (GA) SMU (WRs) LSU (TEs/RC) LSU (RBs/ST) Miami Dolphins (TEs) Louisiana Tech |
|
To tell the absolute truth, it remains to be seen if Dooley can make the grade at a major University, much less the SEC. No matter how you slice it, the numbers are not good. Then again, Gene Chizik did not have a stellar record either. Records are situational.
A definite strong point of hiring Dooley can be found in the fact that he wants the job. That says a lot. Many believe that after Phillip Fulmer drove the program downward, then Lane Kiffin completed the beheading, Tennessee would have problems securing a coach.
Looking back at the coaching search, UT Athletic Director did put a full court press on several top coaches:
Will Muschamp (Texas), Kyle Whittingham (Utah), David Cutcliffe (Duke), Jon Gruden, Troy Calhoun ... all rebuffed the Big Orange.
Laughably, th most asinine comment of the day does not go to a UT fan, UT detractor, or even a real sports fan at all. Who gets this award? CBS' Tim Brando had this to say on Twitter:
The reaction from Tennessee fans tells you all you need to know about fans. They know little, think they know a lot. Dooley a great hire!
It does not matter which camp you fall in to ... Derek Dooley is the University of Tennessee's 22nd head football coach.
