The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Derek Dooley

Followed Lane Kiffin. Derek Dooley held Tennessee at Power Program II for 3 seasons.

The ascent
32–41
2007–2012 · 2 stints
Louisiana TechTennessee
← all coaches

Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerLOUISIANA TECHTENNESSEEPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelLouisiana Tech, 2007: 5-7, Regional Program IV2007Louisiana Tech, 2008: 8-5, Regional Program IV2008Louisiana Tech, 2009: 4-8, Regional Program IV2009+0.9Tennessee, 2010: 6-7, Power Program II2010Tennessee, 2011: 5-7, Power Program II2011Tennessee, 2012: 4-7, Power Program III2012-6.3One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 4th career season — faster than 37% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #215 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

Louisiana Tech, 3 seasons
+0.9
Regional Program IV → Regional Program IV.
Tennessee, 3 seasons
−6.3
Power Program II → Power Program III.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

3–3 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Les Miles.

Rivalry record
3–3
50.0% · 3 rivals
One-score games
9–10
47.4% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Alabama0–20%
Vanderbilt2–0100%
Kentucky1–150%
The toughest matchup
vs. Les Miles0–4
4 meetings, 2007–2011
’07 L’09 L’10 L’11 L
0% win rate across a real, 4-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Dynasty
0–1 0.0%
Blue Blood
0–7 0.0%
Power Program
0–10 0.0%
National Program
4–9 30.8%
Regional Program
17–6 73.9%

Coaching career

2010–2012
Tennesseecaretaker
Power Program II → Power Program II
Derek Dooley held Tennessee at Power Program II for 3 seasons.

11th-best Tennessee tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Lane Kiffin (2009–2009) · succeeded by Butch Jones (2013–2017).

Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Running back from high school
100%
#196 of 208 stints
Grows Interior line from high school
100%
#198 of 224 stints

13 NFL Draft picks: Eric Berry (2010), Dan Williams (2010), Montario Hardesty (2010), Jacques McClendon (2010), Chris Scott (2010), Jonathan Crompton (2010), Luke Stocker (2011), Denarius Moore (2011) + 5 more

15–21
2007–2009
Louisiana Techcaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program IV
Derek Dooley held Louisiana Tech at Regional Program IV for 3 seasons.

11th-best Louisiana Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Jack Bicknell (1999–2006) · succeeded by Sonny Dykes (2010–2012).

Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Interior line from high school
100%
#198 of 224 stints
Grows Safety from high school
100%
#201 of 218 stints

3 NFL Draft picks: Johnathan Holland (2007), D'Anthony Smith (2010), Dennis Morris (2010)

17–20