Derek Dooley’s (pictured left, thanks Icon SMI) departure from Louisiana Tech only turned heads because of where he was going – and even then the general perception of his arrival to Knoxville was “who the heck is this guy?” (or, in some circles, “why is Tennessee getting the son of Georgia’s AD?”). Dooley has the misfortune of following Phillip Fulmer as Tennessee’s next functional head coach, since the only thing we can really count on from the Lane Kiffin Blip (Era implies a multi-year stint) is entertaining press. Fulmer, for all his faults, had a fantastic run in the 90s which serves in part as the reason Tennessee fans have been so frustrated these past few years.

Dooley …well, he may be successful, although I think he may be a bit in over his head for the next season or so. There’s a bit of a learning curve when going from the WAC to the SEC, pedigree or no, and given the difficulty filling the coaching positions so far (as of this writing, Tennessee still doesn’t have a defensive coordinator) it’s going to be a slower process than usual. The only mitigating factor – and it’s a big one – is that the Volunteers are so decimated by losses that it’s not going to make a ton of difference in 2010.

It wasn’t exactly a state secret that Jonathan Crompton and Montario Hardesty have played their last snap in Tennessee orange; these guys doubled as the heart and soul of the 2009 Volunteers, which didn’t seem nearly as laughable at the end of the season as it did during it. Indeed, looking at the skill positions, there’s plenty of reason to think that Tennessee will be fine. Their top WRs – Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore – both return along with TE Luke Stocker (matchup nightmare), and David Oku should be able to easily slot in as the Bryce Brown to Brown’s 2009 Hardesty next season. The biggest question at the skill positions next season is going to be if Nick Stephens and/or Tyler Bray can step in as a legitimate college QB.

However, note the presence of “skill positions” in the above paragraph. That’s there for a reason: the offensive line is decimated. Nearly anyone who played meaningful snaps this year is gone – the Sullins twins, Chris Scott, Jacques McClendon, and Vladmir Richard (plus previous three-year starter Josh McNeil) will graduate, leaving in their place a ton of underclassmen. Next season’s success will be dictated by how quickly the new offensive line matures, as early struggles won’t bode well for the rest of the season. (Think 2009 Oklahoma for a good example of what a new offensive line can do.)

The good news is that Dooley’s preferred offensive approach isn’t that much different than what Tennessee’s seen for ages; it’s a pro-style, slightly run-favored offense that lends itself well to UT’s current personnel. Jim Chaney is still there, so offensive continuity is pretty much maintained.

Defensive continuity may have some issues, though. Tennessee loses its top four tacklers (up to and including likely top-5 pick Eric Berry) along with pass-rush specialist Wes Brown; heck, their leading returning tackler (MLB Herman Lathers) is a freshman pressed into service only due to the season-ending injury to MLB Nick Reveiz. Actually, it’s thanks to MLB depth issues last season that Dooley’s preferred 3-4 scheme may be able to happen sooner rather than later.

Indeed, it’s the transition to a 3-4 that may cause the biggest 2010 issues for Tennessee; I don’t see good short-term success from the transition as it takes about a season for people to get familiar with the scheme change – plus Tennessee doesn’t have a monster DT type who can serve as an effective first line of run defense. The personnel issues likely will prevent a shift during the 2010 year anyway, so 2011 may be the season of transition.

The upshot for now is that Dooley will end up getting a functional free pass this year if Tennessee at least has the grace to look competitive. However, from a fantasy perspective things don’t look nice at all, as a bad offensive line can destroy even the best of plans.

Related posts:

1. SEC Keeper Watch
2. SEC Sleepers and Breakout Players
3. SEC Bookends: Green with Envy
4. SEC Bookends: More than Just Tim Tebow
5. Running Through the SEC Runningbacks

Tags: SEC