Will The Rams Run It Back?
Former Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley is reuniting with Nick Saban, joining Alabama’s staff as an offensive analyst, Football Scoop’s John Brice first reported.
Dooley has deep ties with Saban, working for the Alabama coach in previous stops at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins.
After three unsuccessful years at Tennessee that saw the Vols go 16-21 (5-19 SEC), Dooley went back to the NFL where he spent five seasons as the Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver coach.
The Cowboys pushed Dooley out following the 2017 season and the former UT head coach dipped his toe back into the SEC waters. Dooley replaced Josh Heupel as Missouri’s offensive coordinator in 2018 and spent two years on the job before Missouri fired head coach Barry Odom.
Dooley and Missouri went 1-1 against the Vols, winning in Knoxville in 2018 before falling in Columbia in 2019.
The son of SEC legend Vince Dooley, Derek went back to the NFL after his two years at Missouri. Dooley spent 2020 as a senior offensive assistant for the New York Giants before being promoted to tight ends coach for the 2021 season. The Giants fired head coach Joe Judge following the end of the season.
Dooley is the latest big name coach to join Saban’s staff in an off the field role in attempts to help rejuvenate their career. Steve Sarkisian and former Tennessee head coaches Lane Kiffin and Butch Jones have also followed that route.
