Report: Alabama Set to Hire Derek Dooley as Offensive Analyst

The former Tennessee head coach will be reunited with Nick Saban after working under him at LSU and the Miami Dolphins.

Alabama appears set to add a former SEC head coach to its staff. According to a report from FootballScoop on Wednesday, former Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley will join the Crimson Tide as an offensive analyst.

Dooley comes to Alabama after two seasons with the New York Giants where he served as an offensive assistant in 2020 before coaching tight ends last season. Before that, he spent two seasons as Missouri’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after coaching wide receivers for the Dallas Cowboys from 2013-17.

Dooley served as a head coach at Tennessee from 2010-12 after coaching Louisiana Tech from 2007-09. He recorded just one winning season during that span, leading Lousiana Tech to an 8-5 record including a win in the Independence Bowl in 2008. Dooley went 17-20 in his three seasons with the Bulldogs before compiling a 15-21 record during his three years with the Volunteers. His best season at Tennessee was in 2010 when he finished 6-7, including a loss in the Music City Bowl. 

After being fired by Tennessee during the 2012 season, Dooley was ultimately replaced by Butch Jones. Interestingly enough, Jones went on to become an offensive analyst at Alabama after being fired by the Volunteers in 2017. Lane Kiffin, who preceded Dooley as Tennessee's head coach in 2009, also went on to work at Alabama as its offensive coordinator from 2014-16. The Crimson Tide has employed four of Tennessee's last five head coaches as former Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt oversaw the Volunteers program from 2018-20.

Alabama's hiring of Dooley will reunite him with Nick Saban after the two spent time together at both LSU and with the Miami Dolphins. Dooley served as Saban’s tight ends coach at LSU from 2000-02 before coaching running backs from 2003-04. He then followed Saban to the NFL where he served as the Dolphins’ tight ends coach from 2005-06.

Dooley, a former Virginia wide receiver, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Georgia in 1996. Before joining Saban at LSU, he coached receivers at SMU from 1997-99.

Last week, Alabama added former LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger as an offensive analyst. Earlier Wednesday, multiple reports stated that Crimson Tide analyst Johnathan Galanted was hired as the special team coordinator at Marshall. 

Derek Dooley throughout the years

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