Coaching job evaluation: Tennessee

One can count on one hand the number of times Vanderbilt has beaten rival Tennessee in Nashville over the last seven decades: 1948, 1954, 1982 and 2012.

That this current season was added to the short list – and that the loss came by such a wide margin, 41-18 – was the last straw for Tennessee, which dismissed Derek Dooley after his third losing season in as many years as the Volunteers' coach.

"We very much appreciate the effort and energy that Derek Dooley and his staff have poured into our football program at the University of Tennessee," athletic director Dave Hart said during a press conference Sunday.

"Derek and I met early this morning, and I informed him that I believed a change in leadership, despite the positive contributions he has made to the overall health of the program, was in the best long-term interests of Tennessee football. We will immediately begin the search for the best possible candidate to assume this leadership role."

Dooley declined the opportunity to coach through the end of the year, saying that it would provide an unnecessary distraction for his players. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will serve as the interim coach for the Volunteers' season finale against Kentucky.

His tenure ends with a thud, perhaps encapsulating the way UT has fallen from its perch as one of the most envied programs in college football to one of the SEC's annual disappointments. After going 6-7 in 2010, losing to North Carolina in bowl play, this year's team can do no better than match last season's 5-7 finish.

Overall, Dooley compiled a 15-21 record over nearly three full seasons. When combined with his 17-20 record at Louisiana Tech from 2007-9, Dooley is nine games under .500 as an FBS head coach.

"I'm sorry we could not generate enough wins to help create hope for a brighter future," Dooley said in a statement. "Although progress was not reflected in our record, I am proud of the strides we made to strengthen the foundation for future success in all areas of the program."

For a program that once had only two coaches over a 30-year span – Johnny Majors and Phil Fulmer, from 1977-2007 – Tennessee will enter the 2013 season with its fourth coach in six years. Dooley's successor will inherit one of the great programs in the country; he'll also inherit a team and program desperate for answers at one of the most crucial junctures in its proud history.

What's good about the job:

Don't let the last half-decade fool you: Tennessee remains very much one of the elite programs in college football. Just as great programs aren't built over a shortened span, neither are great programs torn down to size because of a brief stretch of losing seasons. Coaches know this full well.

Tennessee is the top job that will become available this offseason, barring an unexpected development – Oregon coach Chip Kelly moving to the NFL, for example. The Tennessee job is one that carries a tremendous amount of cachet, for several reasons.

The university's football facilities are superb. The university recently moved into a new, $45 million training facility, which is a tremendous draw for recruits and potential coaches alike.

And then there's the fan support, which is undoubtedly outstanding. Were UT fans distressed over the program's slide over Dooley's final two seasons? Absolutely. The passion is still there, and the university's ability to pack Neyland Stadium on Saturday is one of its greatest assets.

What's bad about the job:

The expectations remain immense, even if Dooley's replacement will get some leeway as he attempts to rebuild UT's standing in the SEC. But progress must be shown from day one – in the win column, not just on the practice field.

The SEC's playing field has changed. UT's next coach must deal with Nick Saban and Alabama, of course, but there's also South Carolina's growth under Steve Spurrier, Vanderbilt's amazing climb under James Franklin and the constant presence of Georgia and Florida to worry about. There are fewer and fewer "clear wins" during SEC play, especially for a rebuilding Tennessee program.

Dooley's successor must also do his best to recreate a fence around Memphis, the top recruiting hotbed inside the state. Will UT ever own Memphis? No, because Alabama and others continue to make headway with the area's top prospects. But the next coach needs to make that UT country, or close to it. It takes a dedicated effort to recruit at a premier level to Tennessee.

The next coach might also take on a roster short on top-notch talent. UT isn't short on athleticism, but there's a chance that quarterback Tyler Bray and wide receivers Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson enter the NFL Draft one year ahead of schedule. If that occurs, UT's offense is going to be short on playmakers.

Who are the likely candidates:

Nick Saban might not be available, but Tennessee won't be short of attractive candidates angling for the open position. Hart made it clear that there are two prerequisites for the job: the first is "integrity," as a result of the program's recent NCAA penalties, and the second is prior head coaching experience.

The latter qualification is important to consider. Here are a few candidates the university should consider:

Duke coach David Cutcliffe
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini
Louisville coach Charlie Strong
TCU coach Gary Patterson
Cincinnati coach Butch Jones
Miami (Fla.) coach Al Golden
North Carolina coach Larry Fedora
Washington coach Steve Sarkisian
Former NFL coach Jon Gruden

The ideal candidate:

The fan base is itching for Gruden, whose Super Bowl-winning pedigree will be a significant weapon on the recruiting trail. But even if Gruden is interested in returning to coaching – and if so, on the college level – UT would need to battle Arkansas, which has indicated a willingness to pay whatever it takes to reel in the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers' coach.

There's no questioning Gruden's draw. But at the same time, could Tennessee be better off going with a current FBS coach with a track record of winning in a BCS conference? What about Pelini, who has proven himself capable of winning games in a similarly unorthodox situation at Nebraska? Or Strong, who has Louisville on the cusp of a BCS berth?

The best pick might even be Duke's Cutcliffe, the former UT assistant who has led the Blue Devils to six wins and bowl eligibility. He has both head coaching experience and the knowledge of what it takes to win at Tennessee. But it might be difficult for any program, even Tennessee, to pull Cutcliffe away from Duke.