Vols tab Dooley as coach

By Herald Wire Services

Tennessee’s whirlwind search for a new football coach ended yesterday when it hired Derek Dooley of Louisiana Tech.

The son of former Georgia coach Vince Dooley, Derek Dooley went 17-20 in three seasons at Louisiana Tech and was the only coach in major college football to also serve as his school’s athletic director. He holds a law degree and previously worked for several years under Nick Saban with LSU and the Miami Dolphins [team stats].

Duke’s David Cutcliffe and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham reportedly took their names out of consideration for the Vols job yesterday morning. . . .

Georgia Tech hired former Virginia andNew York Jets [team stats] coach Al Groh as its defensive coordinator. Rival Georgia, meanwhile, brought in Dallas Cowboys line coach Todd Grantham to run its defense. . . .

Running back Toby Gerhart, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, will enter the NFL draft instead of staying at Stanford for a fifth season. . . .

Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski and Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson will enter the NFL draft. . . .

Southern Indiana senior center Jeron Lewis, who collapsed during a Thursday night game and died at a hospital, had an enlarged heart, a preliminary autopsy ruled. . . .

Sophomore center Tyler Zeller of No. 12 North Carolina will miss 4-6 weeks because of a stress fracture in his right foot.