KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Derek Dooley has the Southern accent, the coaching pedigree and is doing his best to reassure Tennessee fans their new coach appreciates where he’s now working.
“How can you ask for anything more than the University of Tennessee?” Dooley said Friday.
The son of Georgia legend Vince Dooley was introduced as the Vols’ second new coach in 14 months, replacing Lane Kiffin days after he bolted for Southern California. Among his first challenges will be reassuring fans and players that he wants to be at Tennessee.
“The times of worrying about what happened is over,” Dooley said.
Dooley promised he will not try to sell Tennessee in a sound bite, perhaps taking a shot at Kiffin, who was reprimanded by the Southeastern Conference for brash comments.
“Everything we’re going to do is going to be done with a foundation of integrity with every aspect of the program,” Dooley said. “We’re going to represent this institution with class on and off the field.”
Dooley went 17-20 in three seasons at Louisiana Tech and was the only coach in major college football to also serve as the athletic director.
