Related videos
Your new coach is young and good looking with a famous football coach for a father, more losses than wins as a head coach, and a lifelong connection to a prominent football program. Remind you of anybody?
There are enough similarities between this Tennessee coach and the last one to absolutely terrify you. But before you excuse yourself for a panic attack, you need to know: Derek Dooley isn't blonde.
Something else: He has a law degree. That doesn't mean he will outwit Nick Saban and Urban Meyer on Saturdays, but it's a good indicator that he can figure out an NCAA rule book, which should lower the blood pressure of UT athletic director Mike Hamilton.
Dooley is all about taking care of the athletic director. He was one until Friday afternoon.
Wonder how the coach's exit interview with his supervisor went? Suffice to say, it was brief.
Now, Louisiana Tech has two job openings, and UT has another young coach, who, in the best of all college football worlds, will finish what Lane Kiffin started. That he will sound southern trying, so much the better for a program still seething over its sudden breakup with the California Kid who abandoned it for the Southern California coaching job.
There's not enough space here to review the cast of characters who made at least cameo appearances in Hamilton's whirlwind coaching search, but I like how it ended better than how it started.
You might surmise that it started with one former Georgia Bulldog and ended with another one. Texas' Will Muschamp played for the Bulldogs. Dooley grew up with them as the son of legendary Georgia coach Vince Dooley. Both coached under Nick Saban - first at LSU, then with the Miami Dolphins.
Since then, Muschamp has become the fiery "Mini- Nick" on the Texas sideline, where he serves as defensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting to Mack Brown; Dooley has been hidden away in North Louisiana, where his biggest stage is a Friday night game with Boise State.
I like a good sideline show as well as the next guy. But that doesn't mean I endorse the star as a head coach. In fact, I like Dooley's resume better.
The coach-in-waiting has decided to keep waiting, rather than venture from one UT to another one. So don't waste your time wondering whether the Vols got the right Dawg, though - just for the record - I know a Georgia insider who says they did.
Don't get squeamish about Dooley's sub-.500 record at Louisiana Tech. That's a tough job, whose degree of difficulty is exacerbated by the distance from its WAC competition. Credit Hamilton with looking past that record. Also credit him for hiring a young coach with more potential than production.
Sure, it's a gamble, just as the Kiffin hire was a year earlier. What hire isn't?
But the Kiffin hire worked. It just didn't work long enough.
Dooley's reputation is better than his head-coaching record.
For starters, he has Saban for a reference, which is the college equivalent of an NFL endorsement from Bill Belichick. Moreover, he has a reputation as a relentless recruiter and a tireless worker, which might strike you as redundancy since I already mentioned that he worked for Saban.
Dooley has something Kiffin doesn't. He has a firsthand understanding of SEC football that goes way beyond your standard scouting report. He knows how much it matters - not just to the players and coaches, but to the fans.
He spoke with passion and conviction about SEC football at Friday night's press conference. And his accent probably was as reassuring as his choice of words.
Linebacker Nick Reveiz listened to Dooley twice - once in a team meeting, then at the press conference - and concluded with a smile: "Hey, this guy's southern.
"That's all right."
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 129
Gator_Hater (Inactive) writes:
One thing you need to do Coach Dooley:
Name Nick Reveiz one of your team captains.
asleep#212036 writes:
Agree with everything said here. This guy is worlds ahead of Kiffin in every way - resume, personality, integrity, values - I think Hamilton made an excellent hire. I seriously doubt a man like this would turn on the folks that gave him his first real chance at big-time college football. Most of the recruiting pundits also think we are going to be just fine this year, even if we lose a couple of high profile kids. I'll trust them on that one. Looking forward to September! Go Vols!!!
RJ_Vol writes:
You lost me at, "...But the Kiffin hire worked." Overall, though, decent article. One of the better ones.
notoriousBIGorange writes:
Adams was one of the first cheerleaders for the Kiffin hire and loses all credibility with TN fans. Adams, just like Fulmer, you need to go.
bspurlingcac#225603 writes:
Good start...he won the press conference. Now go get the players to stay put. Big things to come. Go Vols!!!
tnvol27#546179 writes:
Im pleased....I really think we are going to like this guy...Go Vols!!!
asleep#212036 writes:
And another thing. For all of Mike Hamilton's shortcomings, and there certainly are some, after listening to Dooley's interview he did an amazing job getting a man of Dooley's caliber in less than 3 days. It took him a lot longer than that to come up with Kiffin and that turned out rather poorly. In that case, Hamilton tried to hire the right coach, but didn't get much of a man. This time I think he got the right man and the coaching will take care of itself. I like this situation much better. Go Vols!!!
golfballs03 writes:
I am skeptical about other SEC schools recommending a coach to one of their rivals...
oh, and BTW, Muschamp might be a hot shot, but his defenses aren't that good.
dburgvet writes:
American by birth Southern by the grace of God!!
AtticusFinch_WAW writes:
I was sold on the PC alone. Behind this hire 100%, but this is from the father of a 10 yr old by the name of Peyton! Welcome to The Big Orange family CDD.
rockytopatl writes:
Did you pay to read this? No. So you have no right to advocate the firing of the people who produced it. If you don't like Adams, don't read him. Simple as that.
VolBall writes:
I had never heard of this guy until today. After watching the press conference I'm convinced we've got a gem. Classy guy, smart, solid character, southern football savvy. I'd be honored for my son to play for him. I think he is a great fit. Lets get behind him and embrace everything that makes UT football so terrific. GO VOLS
richvol writes:
I like the hire as Dooley was certainly impressive in the moment at the press conference. His backgroud is extensive as recruiting coordinator for Saban,special teams coach,assistant HC for Saban and head coach and athletic director at Tech. He is young and energetic and highly intelligent.
Let's get behind coach Dooley and make him feel welcome in east Tennessee.
VolinCalif writes:
Now Now. The Vols needed a change. MH knew that the future needed new blood and so did Adams. We all backed Lane unless you are a troll. Lane did ok and recruited very well if he hadn't left we would still be kissing his buttie. He gave us the big six, so be it. We are going to be just fine and I like this coach. Not as much as I liked his daddy but time could well take care of that. I also like Adams and Griff. KNS has a good sports staff just read some of the other papers. Go ahead and read NYTimes, LATimes etc. The Kns crew is at least correct most of the time. Not good this past couple of days but they at least tried to stay current.
Lets hop on the Dooley Train and have a great year. Go Vols
Morton writes:
Great post!! Love that you showed data to prove it! I'm behind this guy!
tlallman writes:
I believe Kiffin would have been successful here if he had of stayed. He was getting the recruits. But, his goal of turning us into the Southern Cal of the East did not sit right with me. We are Tennessee. We don't need to be turned into anything else. I lived in Los Angeles for a while. I stayed out there about as long as Kiffin stayed here. First advice I was given when I got there was "beware of the Flakes, California is full of them". Kiffin=Flake. They don't call it the "Left Coast, land of fruits and nuts" for nothing. I am so glad to have Coach Dooley, so I don't have to grit my teeth every time he opens his mouth.
chbradshaw writes:
Has anyone seen a statement from Fulmer congratulating the hire? The silence speaks wonders.
He certainly found the time to try to interject himself when he thought he could kick Hamilton.
Fulmer is looking more and more sorry by the day.
trace5254 writes:
It is amazing that any journalist or fan could say that Kiffin was a success - His accomplishments:
- Just above a .500 record including a blow-out loss in the bowl game - is that acceptable?
- Rules violations that will likely land you on probation
- Comments that made him the laughing stock of football
- Actions that made a great institution look like a charity case(but he was only doing that to get UT attention)
I believe Dooley is a huge improvement - - he can't match up to Saban or Myers but who can?
With Dooley you at least you have a coach that won't make you look like a total fool - which has been the case for the last 14 months
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
Hard not to like this guy; I couldn't help but notice he had a similar demeanor as Saban..Kiffin's press was spent covering his butt and shoveling BS; Dooley's press was just as we wanted; straight forward and honest to a fault..All I want from this program is to have all the honesty and integrity that Majors and Fulmer upheld..The wins will come later
99gator writes:
this hire may be better than i thought as well.
either way, he will need a lot of time.
be patient
we3vols#281863 writes:
Nice try, no cigar. You are nothing but a Baby Bamer Troll. Being a Vols fan I say "Just go away Lil boy". HAHA Go Vols!
TNMIAWV writes:
Came away very impressed on hearing Dooley speak. He was a bit nervous at the beginning, who wouldn't be, but as he warmed up took control of the room. Wouldn't let the press egg him into soundbites, reminds you of Saban in his serious humorless approach to everything. I believe Hamilton found himself a gem, and is an excellent hire. Here is my concern, and it was the same with Muschamp. Texas job comes open, Muschamp would probably have left for his "dream job." We all know Mark Richt is on the hot seat, just replaced his Defensive Coordinator. What if Richt leaves or is fired? Will Dooley go to where his father coached, as his "dream job." I know there are no guarantees in life, but if Dooley leaves within three years, it will probably take UT a decade to recover. Also, how is LA Tech feeling about this? We have all said what a lowlife Kiffin is for leaving us at the worst possible time of recruting. Did the other coaches turn down the job because they felt it was unethical to walk away during this time at their chosen Universities? He said Tech would be fine, just like Kiffin said about us in his USC press conference, are they really? I'd be curious to hear comments from them. I hate to say this, but the past is sometimes an indicator of the future. Even though this might be the greatest hire, these questions can only be answered over time. We would not be asking them if someone like Kippy or Cutcliffe took the job. This would have been their "dream job."
vut56#231073 writes:
Well, on balance an okay review. Adam's style is always evident but his points are fair,without overstated sarcasm. His most valid point is "what hire isn't (a risk)?
Which name Vol Nation clamored to lead it's program would not have been a risk? And, in advance, who would have bet THEIR livlihood on any name in the ring. We all saw what Adams saw last night; what was there not to like? To quibble is to admit a prejudice that would have been leveled at any hire...by some.
So, it would be great to see the thousands of post(s) hurled in anger, offered in support of OUR new coach. He deserves a chance.
jobrando#216494 writes:
I'm tired of hearing we expected a "BIG SPLASH" coach. Would one of you please tell me since the first game was played in 1891 how many of these Big Splashes have been hired. If you reseach this you will find it's ZERO ZERO ZERO. Perhaps there is a reason we are called volunteers. Volunteer coches have started at the bottom and earned legend status.
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
by a lot of time, you mean coaching, right? Patience is a luxury we can't afford on the recruiting front. My guess is that he's going to be on a steay diet of Red Bull the next 2 weeks.
dwolfcreek#397971 writes:
Thanks Hamilton great hire , WELCOME COACH DOOLEY AND FAMILY .
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
Well, technically, he did improve our record... but the price we paid for it definitely wasn't worth it.
Obviously, time will tell with Dooley. But he really impressed me at the press conference.
AlpharettaVol writes:
At this time in our history, don't you have anything better to do than critique the newspaper that gives you all your information?
uttom#467786 writes:
Watching the press conference I realized we have a gentleman first and coach second. Would rather lose with class than win with obnoxious cockiness.
Now if we could do the same thing in the White House.
give_him_6 writes:
Amen..I agree...Character counts. And Dooley seems to be a grown up too. Everything that other guy wasn't. I know it was just a press conference, but the guy came off very well. I may be more excited about this hire than the last one.
Welcome to the Vols Coach Dooley!!!
Why when I say Coach Dooley do I think of his father?? LoL!!!
blindpig writes:
I don't believe Fulmer has been asked. You act like he has a microphone and camera that he turns on and off at will.
Come on now..lets get real here.
Huttdawg100 writes:
Adams was on sports radio yesterday, and he said the same things. His main point yesterday was that some of the Big Boys in Georgia think the world of Dooley: he said he asked: "if you had to choose between Muschamp and Dooley, who would you pick?" He said that the answer was a unanimous "yes".
I will always support the University of Tennessee. Always. I'll never turn my back on them. I will continue my donations to the University until the day I die. That said, I won't trust this guy until we win the SEC championship, and he turns down NFL and other offers from Georgia, Texas, Miami, etc... He did work for Nick Saban, and we just got burned by a Pac 10 tramp.
TennHillbilly writes:
I for one, would prefer the Dooley "truck" compared to the train. Just seems more fitting and less attatched to the previous coaching faculty.
I think this guy is going to be just fine. We may struggle one or two years until he gets settled and gets his assistant coaches the way he wants them, but we were looking at struggling anyways with nobody driving the truck. Kiffin may have made some good recruiting classes, but Montes famed defensive saavy certainly didn't show up against Va Tech, did it? You can enter a blue-blooded Derby winner into a race, but without a jockey that knows how to ride it, it's nothing more than a jack-azz.
Give the guy a shot and support him. If he can't coach, we'll know it within 2 seasons. It only took one season to see that Lane didn't really belong on the sideline.
GBO
crimsonviper writes:
I must agree 99.
I think he has a tremendous task in front of him cleaning up the mess Kiffin left.
I think he also can unite the fanbase.
He seems to have class and drive.
I believe this could be a fine day for UT.
99gator writes:
i mean wins and losses.
i think he will need some time before he can be expected to field a team that can potentially bring home an SEC title.
the scholly situation and what kiffin did in leaving is just a huge problem.
heyvol writes:
I'm a West Tenn person but lived 9 yrs. in Knoxville in the '90s. Notice how Adams said "YOUR new coach" instead of "OUR new coach"?? I never understood how someone who admittedly despises UT could head the sports department of the Knoxville newspaper, until I discovered that it's a thread running through all Scripps Howard publications.
Adams has always said he's an LSU guy. Dooley worked at LSU under Saban. Too many reasons here for Adams' opinion to have no weight whatsoever.
WHAT? YOU DIDN'T KNOW ADAMS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A UT HATER? I'VE FOLLOWED THE MAN FOR TWO DECADES. MAYBE SOMEONE TOLD HIM TO STOP ADMITTING IT, BUT HE SAID IT CONSTANTLY BACK IN THE EARLY 90S.
londonvol writes:
We got a SEC guy, GREAT
volsfaithful writes:
Go Vols. Take off the rear view mirror, go talk to everyone who decommitted, and lets get on with it. Finish with a great DC - anyone know who is on that short list?
TommyJack writes:
Adams, good piece.
I'm sure Mikey will sleep better not worrying about his coach making stupid comments. Repeatedly.
Pullingguard writes:
If supporting Kiffin is a ticket out of town then Knoxville will be nothing but a ghost town. And maybe that would not be bad, to get rid of the fence riders that follow UT football. Either in or out.
FatherVol writes:
I don't know as if I can agree with your assessment of Coach Fumer interjecting himself. He was asked a question by a reporter and he responded with an opinion on Coach Cutcliff. In my opinion, Coach Fulmer is taking the high road by not initiating comments on his own. Why should he make a public comment of congratulations. If you were to be canned from the job you love and poured your heart and soul into would you be first in line to congratulate every person who assumed those responsibilities after you? And, who's to say Coach Fulmer has congratulated Coach Dooley in a way that doesn't becopme politicized.
tennrich1 writes:
I like him so far...lets please remember come fall, he will be facing probably the toughest schedule for us in 20+ years...so be easy and show some MATURITY!
VOLsince68 writes:
Awesome post. I couldn't have said it better myself. I believe we will be just fine.
Please everyone, don't expect miracles here. Give him time.
GO VOLS!!!!!!
Colliervol writes:
Despite the fact that Kiffin turned out to be a lying weasel, he had the program at least in recovery mode. If you don't think that, you know very little about building a program or you're are a troll who we can discount anyway. Admittedly, he was tweaking noses along the way but the team was more disciplined and was better than in 2008. And that's just fact. But, given what he just showed himself to be, I would apply the old Roy Clark song: "Thank God and Greyhound You're Gone". And that's the last I'm going to say about that. (I'm mailing my Camp Kiffin t-shirt to Southern Cal this week with the wording changed to Camp Lying Weasel and "It's Slime" on the back.)
I think Hamilton did about as much as he could do given the horrendous timing that Weasel left us with. Let's face facts here:
Gruden- Waiting for a pro job.
Muschamp- Ain't leaving Texas unless they fire Richt at Georgia.
Peterson- Likes Boise and I heard he has a child with a medical condition and likes to sort of stay under the radar and not in a program with high pressure.
Air Force Coach- Obviously doesn't want to test himself in the SEC and they couldn't agree on years in the contract.
Whittingham- Might have been as good a choice as Dooley but that's a judgement call. Nobody knows. And at least Dooley has an SEC pedigree.
Cutcliffe- OMG, what dim bulb thought that was a good idea?
Leach/Leavitt- Too much baggage right now. If it had been next year, some of this might have cleared and they would have been viable candidates. But not this year.
Kirby Smart- No different than Dooley from an resume standpoint except that Dooley has been a head coach.
The absolute fact is that Weasel left us at the worst possible time for recruiting and for hiring a head coach. Only time will tell but I think we've done about as good as we can do given what just happened and when.
VOLsince68 writes:
KNS, could you PLEASE take ALL references to Lame Kitten OFF this website. I'm really tired of seeing his name everwhere......
GO VOLS!!!!!
volfan7 writes:
What about John Chavis as defensive coordinator. He has done a great job at 2 SEC schools, Tennessee and LSU. He would be my first choice.
newtonrail writes:
Lane worked except his mouth and attitude, which unfortunately endeared a great many on this board to him, until he b%tch slapped us. Dooley is a class act who also going to be a great recruiter and coach. You can tell from his priorities.
burpee_von_rotweiler_IV writes:
I am going venture a guess that Fulmer is going to issue a statement that Dooley fits his "right guy" manifesto he issued earlier this week and will get squarely behind him. Be patient-he was only named head coach a few hours ago.
Ringside writes:
ESPN News has ran the South FL coach hiring intro several times and yet to run Coach Dooley's press bit once. Wonder if they are afraid it would help UT's recruiting.
Welcome the Tennessee Coach Dooley. Reveiz seemed happy he had a southern draw. Reveiz had some good comments to make about the hiring.
Beat Georgia!
kdaff51 writes:
Glad to see people getting off MH's back. There was nothing he could do to stop LK from leaving town. I'm surprized he didnt pull a Franchione (Alabama) by taking th SC job then calling MH from LA to resign. MH may not always get exacltly the man he wants but he always gets someone with potential and I think CDD has potential all over the place.
I'm on the wagon and if these recruits that have decomitted or waivering are smart they will get on the bus before it pulls out of the station.
NOW IS THE TIME TO BE A VOLUNTEER!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.