All For Tennessee: “Respectfully, he just isn’t a very good coach.”
New reporting from All For Tennessee recaps how failed, fired and loser former Tennessee football coach and GOP U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley ended up ranked on Saturday Blitz’s list of “College football coaches no school should ever trust to run their program” for being “the worst of all coaches in Vols’ history” and amassing “the worst record among Tennessee coaches to spend multiple seasons at the helm.”
This new development comes as Derek Dooley continues campaigning for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination on his abysmal record as a football coach who never lived up to the success of his father.
All For Tennessee: 2 Former Tennessee Coaches Named Among Least Trustworthy Leaders In College Football
By Connor Linsner | May 26, 2026
KEY EXCERPTS:
- Like pretty much every major program, the Tennessee football team has had some rough coaching hires over the years.
- But Tennessee, unfortunately, has two former head coaches who ended up making one of the most embarrassing lists in all of college football.
- FanSided’s Saturday Blitz released their “College football coaches no school should ever trust to run their program” list, and two former Tennessee head coaches have unfortunately been named.
- Author Nicholas Rome had former Tennessee coach from 2010-2012, Derek Dooley, on his list at No. 8.
- Rome said, “It’s rare for a head coach to get a job in the SEC, and never get another head coaching gig after, but Derek Dooley managed just that. Dooley’s 4-19 mark in SEC play while leading Tennessee is the worst of all coaches in Vols’ history while he’s also amassed the worst record among Tennessee coaches to spend multiple seasons at the helm.” […]
- Derek Dooley ended up out of coaching and eventually moved into politics. Even before he got to Knoxville, his stint at Louisiana Tech wasn’t exactly standout, and things didn’t improve when he took over the Tennessee.
- His time in Knoxville didn’t really push the program forward, and that’s a big reason he never got another head coaching job in college football afterward. It wasn’t until years later that he even got a coordinator job.
- Respectfully, he just isn’t a very good coach. […]