Ever since former Vols coach Derek Dooley announced a run for U.S. Senate in Georgia, the opinions have been coming in fast and furious - and, generally, they have not been positive.
One would think maybe some of Dooley's former players would come to his defense, and that might happen one day. But today appearsa unlikely and Da'Rick Rogers will not be the guy doing it. The former wide receiver made it clear where Dooley stands with him.
Lol you don’t even know brother. No player has had more back door nonsense conversations with that man than me. Still to this day, he needs his spoiled ass whooped.
— Da'Rick Rogers (@darickrogers) August 7, 2025
Dooley coached the Vols from 2010 to 2012 and compiled an unimpressive 15-21 record. It was a curious hire to begin with because Dooley was previously the head coach at Louisiana Tech, where he went 17-20. But he was the son of Vince Dooley, which clearly carried some weight at the time.
His record in the SEC was a pathetic 5-19 and Dooley became the first Vols coach to have three consecutive losing seasons. Dooley was fired after the 11th game of the 2012 season.
Rogers was one of the top players of a highly-ranked Volunteers recruiting class in 2010. He was a five-star prospect from Atlanta and was part of a group that included offensive lineman Ja'Wuan James, wide receiver Justin Hunter and quarterback Tyler Bray.
It was a class that was expected to vault Tennessee to the top of the conference, but instead the Vols nearly bottomed out by the time Dooley's run at the top ended. There were many low points and probably none lower than being flagged for having 13 men on the field in the final seconds against LSU.
Tennessee students reenact Derek Dooley's goal line defense against LSU. pic.twitter.com/K7R7E0jY0D
— Gray Hardison (@BellyoftheBeast) February 13, 2014
Things went from bad to worse in 2011, when Tennessee finished 1-7 in the SEC and scored seven points or fewer in five conference games. But it was a 41-18 loss to Vanderbilt in 2012 that finally ended a nightmare that Vols fans were just begging to wake up from.
Rogers, an Atlanta native,had a very good career at Tennessee despite the team's poor on-field results. He led the SEC in receptions (67) and yards (1,040) while also hauling in nine touchdowns. For his efforts, Rogers was named to the All-SEC First Team, so it's safe to say he did have some success while playing with Dooley.
But not enough to get his vote.