2012 SEC Media Days: Tennessee coach Derek Dooley keeps it short and sweet

Photo by: Austin Bigoney

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley got in and out at SEC Media Days, holding probably the shortest session of the week.

• Dooley says he’s felt better than he ever has about the Tennessee program.
• Dooley says, “You’re not going to have Tennessee to kick around anymore.” Will that come back to bite him next year?
• About his two talented receivers in Justin Hunter and Da’rick Rogers, Dooley says only one has made it through a full season, so they still have a lot to prove.
• Surprisingly, Dooley’s session ends a full thirteen minutes early. That was a really short session, and he didn’t get any questions about being on the hotseat.

Instant analysis:

Marc: Dooley’s session only lasted about 25 minutes, well short of the 40 minutes he’s afforded. He didn’t get a question about his job, which is probably a good thing for him. He tried to pitch his session around this being a possible breakout year for Tennessee, and it needs to be if he wants to get back up to the podium next year. Tennessee has the weapons on offense to hang with some of the top teams in the SEC, but it’ll be up to the defense to win those games.

Marq: Derek Dooley exudes confidence despite the struggles he’s had in Knoxville. He acknowledged that it has been a tough four years at Tennessee and put the rest of the SEC on notice saying, “you won’t have Tennessee to kick around anymore.” Dooley may have the hottest coaching seat in the country and if he doesn’t perform this season, he won’t be around for another SEC Media Days.