UT coach Derek Dooley talks to the press.KNOXVILLE – Derek Dooley’s second spring practice as Tennessee’s head football coach begins this afternoon when the Volunteers hit the field for the first of 15 sessions.
It’s more like his first year in Dooley’s mind, though.
“I kind of feel like this is year one and last year was year zero,” Dooley said at a news conference Monday. “It was such a unique situation that we walked into last season, it didn’t feel like your first year. I feel like right now, this is year one.
“We obviously need improvement everywhere. I think every spring you want to come in and improve fundamentally at every position. You want to improve in the schematic knowledge that the players have; you want to improve in the intangible values that we build our program on; and you certainly want to start building a team dynamic, which this year will be very different than last year from that standpoint.”
Dooley’s main goal for his young team is for the freshmen who made significant contributions in his first UT season to become more consistent and more dependable Southeastern Conference contributors.