KNOXVILLE – Every hiring process has a moment – the moment.
Many bosses can tell you the exact moment they knew they wanted to hire someone.
Tennessee men’s athletic director Mike Hamilton had that moment with Derek Dooley.
Hamilton spoke to at least 10 somewhat legitimate candidates to replace the polarizing Lane Kiffin, who abruptly left the Volunteers in January to take the head coaching position at Southern California. But Hamilton’s decision essentially came down to five or six realistic possibilities. And Dooley, the second realistic candidate he interviewed, quickly supplanted himself atop the list and never left it.
“When you’re in a sales position like these guys are in an interview, you’re going to get a lot of different lines,” Hamilton said. “But Derek’s articulation of what he thought it meant to be the head coach at the University of Tennessee, that’s really kind of, if you will, the moment.