The Wiz of Odds

Dooley's First Day on the Job

Tennessee introduced Derek Dooley as its coach Friday night. "We're going to move forward and not dwell on what happened," he said.

Second part of the news conference is after the jump.

From the Mangino-Leavitt-Leach Playbook?

Update: Derek Dooley has been hired by Tennessee, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Louisiana Tech's Derek Dooley, who is close to being named Tennessee's coach, slaps a player during a Sept. 15, 2007 game against California. Thanks to Sports by Brooks.

According to Brooks, Dooley is the only candidate willing to take on six assistants left over from Lane Kiffin's staff. The assistants are under contract and owed nearly $3 million by the school.

Dooley Likely Vol Choice After Cutcliffe Deal Collapses

Tennessee's scramble to find a coach took another turn Friday when Louisiana Tech's Derek Dooley moved to the top of the Volunteer list.

Dooley, 41, has been coach of the Bulldogs since 2007, going 17-20, including one bowl victory. He also serves as the school's athletic director and is son of legendary Georgia coach Vince Dooley.

Dooley moved to the top of the Volunteers' list after a deal to bring Duke's David Cutcliffe fell through over the makeup of the staff at Tennessee.

"After much thought and consideration, Karen and I reached the decision that Duke is the place for our family," Cutcliffe said in a statement issued Friday through the school.

Tennessee plans to interview interim coach Kippy Brown before making its decision, which is expected by the weekend.

The Lafayette Daily Advertiser reported that Dooley canceled end-of-the-season meetings with players on Wednesday and left Ruston. He met with Tennessee officials on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tennessee Expected to Hire Duke's Cutcliffe

Update: The deal with David Cutcliffe fell through and Tennessee is expected to hire Derek Dooley of Louisiana Tech.

David Cutcliffe, who was an assistant at Tennessee from 1983-98 and 2006-07, is Tennessee's likely choice as its new coach, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Cutcliffe, 55, has spent the past two seasons at Duke, leading the Blue Devils to records of 4-8 and 5-7. Before his arrival, Duke was the worst program in a Bowl Championship Series conference for a 10-year span, with only 13 victories over Division I-A teams.

Cutcliffe was Mississippi's coach from 1998-2004, going 44-29. The Rebels played in five bowl games, winning four.

He has a reputation for developing quarterbacks, having coached Heath Shuler, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Erik Ainge.

Orgeron Acknowledges Contacting Recruits

Well now, that didn't take long.

Ed Orgeron acknowledged Wednesday that he was contacting Tennessee recruits on Tuesday night, shortly after he became a member of Lane Kiffin's staff at USC.

"Yes, I did call recruits to clear up any questions they had," Orgeron told the Los Angeles Times. "In my knowledge, I followed the rules correctly."

Did Orgeron offer Tennessee recruits scholarships to USC?

"I'm not going to get into that," he said, adding, "I make tremendously strong ties with families in recruiting. I always try to guide them in the right direction and provide information to them to help some young men who are wondering, 'Coach, what can I do? What are my options?'

"All I did was present their options. Families call me. I call them. I had answers. I gave them answers to their questions."

Monte Kiffin's Exit Interview

Former Tennessee defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin gave a radio interview with "The Sports Animal" in Knoxville on Wednesday morning. Kiffin offered details into how the move to L.A. came about, and you can listen to the interview by clicking here.

Thanks to Paul!