Dooley: The Right Coach For Tennessee?

Did the University of Tennessee get the guy they need to continue the turn around that "Vain" Kiffin started? Or did they just jump into getting a coach as fast as possible without really pursuing some big names?

The guy they got, Derek Dooley, a 41 year old ex-lawyer who was the head coach at La. Tech, isn't really the biggest name out there looking for a job. Even some NFL caliber coaches are jobless right now, but they got Dooley and now it is time to see what he has got.

La. Tech is not a big school, and never gets much media time due to the fact they aren't a prolific football team like a Florida, Texas, or Alabama. They are just a normal college with a normal football team that goes out every Saturday and plays a game of football. They hired Dooley a couple years back, and he has had a little success there bringing in some recruits on route to a 17-20 record in his tenure.

I am not the best mathematician, but 17-20 is less than .500, which usually is not a good sign outside of a batting percentage in baseball in which .400 would be amazing. Even worse, this year Dooley coached the Bulldogs to a 4-8 record.

Let's face it, Dooley wasn't really getting the job done the way most programs want it, or was he? When you look deeper into it the Bulldogs went to Death Valley and only lost to LSU by 8, 24-16. They play Boise State on a yearly basis, and only lost by ten, 45-35, and actually had it even closer until late in the game.

Four of the Bulldogs eight losses were by 8 or less points, and 3 of those four were by either one or two points. Also, all three of their wins were by at least 21 points, the other three were by at least 35 points, so maybe Dooley can put together an offense to be a contender.

It should be easier with a big name coach being your dad, and coaching at a fairly prestigious program to get good recruits. Tennessee did win the first BCS National Championship in 1998, but since then has shown little progress in making another run for a title.

Just because Dooley didn't lead La. Tech to a National Championship, or even a BCS bowl doesn't make him a bad coach, come on it is La. Tech. He did only go 3 games under .500 with them, that is with a four game doozie in his final season.

Does this moderate success make him the right coach in Orange Country? Or is it that no one else showed interest in the job? Dooley was one of the last candidates to be pursued by UT. It was either him or Duke's head coach David Cutcliffe, who coached Eli Manning at Ole Miss, and Peyton Manning at UT.

Speaking of Peyton Manning, maybe UT just hired Dooley as an "interim" coach. A coach to hold the Vols together for a few years until the 33 year old quarterback retires from the NFL. Then the Vols could pursue an Alumnus of the school who was a great quarterback in college, and will have many many records by the time he retires from the NFL, along with at least one Lombardi trophy, and maybe a second one here in a few weeks.

Of course all of this could just be a big scheme that I drew up inside my own head, because it is something I would like to see. Then again in 10 years we may see Peyton in a suit being named the new head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Everyone deserves a little hope, and for my team I have much hope for where they are headed.

Go Vols!