Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley, second from right, pulls linebacker Jacques Smith off the field during an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville , Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012.KNOXVILLE – On his Twitter account, Daniel Gray posted what every Tennessee football fan was wondering on Sunday around noon.
In the wake of coach Derek Dooley’s dismissal, the Volunteers are back in the market for a replacement just three years after consecutive coaching changes.
“Can’t wait to see who our new coach is,” the freshman cornerback posted shortly after Tennessee’s players were informed of the change by Dooley and athletic director Dave Hart late Sunday morning.
A few hours later, Hart sat down for his news conference and set the stage for what will be a crucial search for Dooley’s replacement.
“It’s a tough day for our football team,” he said, “but we will now move forward in a search process with a goal of securing the best coach we possibly can to come and lead the football program at the University of Tennessee. You’ve heard me say this before: this is a great place, and this is a tremendous place. We have tradition, we have history, and we have a brand that is still meaningful.