Here’s Dave Doeren’s record at North Carolina State: 33-30. Here’s his record in ACC games: 15-25. Here’s how many times, over five seasons, his Wolfpack has finished above .500 in league play: Once. Here’s his record against ranked opponents: 3-12, with two of the victories coming this year against Florida State and Louisville. Here’s how State did on a neutral field against South Carolina in September: Lost.
And this Dave Doeren, whom no one has confused with Gen. Neyland, is now the latest in a line of men who won’t coach Tennessee.
Dan Mullen? Now coaching Florida. Greg Schiano? Run out of Knoxville before he ever arrived. David Cutcliffe? Prefers coaching football at Duke, if you can believe that. Mike Gundy? Still enjoying manhood in Stillwater, Okla. Jeff Brohm? Happy at Purdue with his big buddy Mike Bobinski. Jon Gruden? Always and forever a pipe dream. Lane Kiffin? Sitting in Boca Raton, laughing his posterior off.
Tennessee fired Butch Jones on Nov. 12, six weeks later than it should have. Still, the Volunteers did have a bit of an early start. They’ve seen Florida hire Mullen, Mississippi State hire Mullen’s replacement and UCLA hire Chip Kelly. They tried to hire Schiano, but it didn’t take. They’ve since approached Cutcliffe, Gundy and Brohm, to no avail. And now Doeren has said no to Knoxville.
That sound you hear is the rest of the SEC busting a gut in its schadenfreude. It’s possible that this coaching search really hasn’t been the worst in the history of football. It’s also possible it has.
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