KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – It’s time to stop blaming Derek Dooley for the demise of Tennessee football. There needs to be a new crew at which to point the collective finger.
It’s hard to know exactly who that person is since Dooley’s hiring was handled by several people. Former athletic director Mike Hamilton is the easiest person to blame, but how much power did he actually have after firing an all-time great like Phillip Fulmer and replacing him with a one-and-done whippersnapper like Lane Kiffin? He surely had lost most of his power equity with fans and boosters.
So, somehow, Dooley fell into the Vols’ lap after other candidates passed.