Tennessee football: Ranking everybody to coach a game for Vols in 2010s

It’s really hard for us to put Derek Dooley so low. He inherited all of the disaster that Lane Kiffin left, and we simply can’t fully blame him for the way he struggled. Tennessee football entered the decade with him as head coach, and on top of the shape Kiffin left the program in, Dooley was dealing with the SEC at its toughest while also suffering through an athletic director change.

Taking all of that into account, he walked into a horrific climate. And he still actually did some good things, which included signing some underrated NFL talent and also starting the Vol for Life program. Meanwhile, with the program on fire, he helped the Vols rebound their first year from a 2-6 start to get to 6-6 before losing their bowl game.

If the 10-second runoff rule existed and there wasn’t confusion on one play at the LSU Tigers, UT finishes that year 8-5. However, after that, it all went downhill. Dooley did not respond well to the pressure his second year, and he admits he did not set the standard for his young players, resulting in a 5-7 season and a loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Sure, Tyler Bray and Justin Hunter went down with injuries, but that was unacceptable. Dave Hart said as much, which resulted in Dooley losing tons of his staff members, and he responded by hiring Sal Sunseri to run the defense and switch to a 3-4. That was another huge mistake, so in his third season, UT went 5-7 again with the worst defense in school history.

His tenure was just a brutal run. You can’t defend three straight losing seasons as a head coach. The on-field performance was bad enough, and he made enough off-field mistakes. So, as painful as it is, we have to put him here.