Many people here have been calling for it. Im not trying to debate whether youre right or wrong. Im not a sunshine pumper, and Im not a ledge jumper. Im just trying to remain objective and giving you reasons why I dont think it will happen. Long post forthcoming.
Finances. Tennessee athletics posted a five-million-dollar loss last year. If you fire Dooley, youre on the hook for his buyout. Not only that, youre also paying for his replacement. And if we go after a big-ticket hire like many of you want, then this cost is going to be significant. Also consider the cost of replacing any of the assistant coaches if our big fish wants to bring in some of his own people. This isnt cheap, and its not the way to turn a profit. The way to turn this around is to win, and in the short-term (this year and the next) Dooley still gives us a better likelihood of being relevant than another new coach with a depleted roster and a new system.
The successor. Weve heard it ad nauseam, but here it is again. We booted Fulmer a year after he played in the SEC Championship game. After Kiffins affair left the roster gutted, we brought in Dooley to right the ship and restock the cupboard. Even now, very few of our contributing players are seniors. In the SEC more than anywhere else, having an entire roster stocked with quality, rotation-caliber depth is crucial if we want to win big games. Also consider that we brought in nearly an entirely new coaching staff and are integrating a new scheme on the defensive side of the ball. This requires an adjustment period, and were nowhere near the end of that period yet. Firing Dooley also means that we likely face another period of thin depth and new schemes. If Hart doesnt display the patience to allow a new coach to fully integrate his system and recruit his own players, then wed never interest a great candidate for the position anyway. This isnt even mentioning the fallout from denying the rest of the staff a legitimate chance (assuming that theyre fired as well). Many assistant coaches are young guys looking to move up, and no ambitious young coach would come here if he thinks wed drop him before he even fully installed his system.
Recruiting. Ive mentioned it already, but it deserves its own paragraph. Firing a coach damages a recruiting class. Firing an entire staff destroys it. In a perfect world, wed have a pile of elite players dying to play in Neyland from the moment they touch a football for the first time. A few schools have that luxury, but we arent one of them. We attract recruits by building relationships between them and the coaches, and this is a process that takes multiple years in many cases. Losing all of those relationships would devastate our class, because the new staff would have to establish relationships from the beginning while our competition has been working them for months or years. Thats a huge hurdle. I feel that some who want Dooley fired expect it to be an instant-win button, and if we press it then well be right back to national relevance. In all likelihood, it would just set the clock back another few years wed be dealing with major roster attrition and damage-control recruiting classes all over again.
All of this said, I do think there are circumstances in which Dooley could lose his job regardless. If we go through the next four games by suffering four blowout losses, then Hart would likely start making phone calls. But barring that kind of catastrophe, I think Dooley will get another chance next year, with fully-installed schemes and four full recruiting classes.
Finances. Tennessee athletics posted a five-million-dollar loss last year. If you fire Dooley, youre on the hook for his buyout. Not only that, youre also paying for his replacement. And if we go after a big-ticket hire like many of you want, then this cost is going to be significant. Also consider the cost of replacing any of the assistant coaches if our big fish wants to bring in some of his own people. This isnt cheap, and its not the way to turn a profit. The way to turn this around is to win, and in the short-term (this year and the next) Dooley still gives us a better likelihood of being relevant than another new coach with a depleted roster and a new system.
The successor. Weve heard it ad nauseam, but here it is again. We booted Fulmer a year after he played in the SEC Championship game. After Kiffins affair left the roster gutted, we brought in Dooley to right the ship and restock the cupboard. Even now, very few of our contributing players are seniors. In the SEC more than anywhere else, having an entire roster stocked with quality, rotation-caliber depth is crucial if we want to win big games. Also consider that we brought in nearly an entirely new coaching staff and are integrating a new scheme on the defensive side of the ball. This requires an adjustment period, and were nowhere near the end of that period yet. Firing Dooley also means that we likely face another period of thin depth and new schemes. If Hart doesnt display the patience to allow a new coach to fully integrate his system and recruit his own players, then wed never interest a great candidate for the position anyway. This isnt even mentioning the fallout from denying the rest of the staff a legitimate chance (assuming that theyre fired as well). Many assistant coaches are young guys looking to move up, and no ambitious young coach would come here if he thinks wed drop him before he even fully installed his system.
Recruiting. Ive mentioned it already, but it deserves its own paragraph. Firing a coach damages a recruiting class. Firing an entire staff destroys it. In a perfect world, wed have a pile of elite players dying to play in Neyland from the moment they touch a football for the first time. A few schools have that luxury, but we arent one of them. We attract recruits by building relationships between them and the coaches, and this is a process that takes multiple years in many cases. Losing all of those relationships would devastate our class, because the new staff would have to establish relationships from the beginning while our competition has been working them for months or years. Thats a huge hurdle. I feel that some who want Dooley fired expect it to be an instant-win button, and if we press it then well be right back to national relevance. In all likelihood, it would just set the clock back another few years wed be dealing with major roster attrition and damage-control recruiting classes all over again.
All of this said, I do think there are circumstances in which Dooley could lose his job regardless. If we go through the next four games by suffering four blowout losses, then Hart would likely start making phone calls. But barring that kind of catastrophe, I think Dooley will get another chance next year, with fully-installed schemes and four full recruiting classes.
