Derek Dooley lands with the New York Giants

Former Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley is on the move once again. After a two year stint in Missouri as the Tigers offensive coordinator, Dooley is heading back to the NFL. The former receivers coach for the Cowboys will stay in that same division, joining the New York Giants.

His role has not yet been specified, though it’s likely to be an on-field offensive assistant position. Dooley joins new head coach Joe Judge’s staff, which now features Bret Bielema and Freddie Kitchens, two other coaches with heavy SEC ties. Judge also hired former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett as his offensive coordinator last week.

Dooley took over at Tennessee following the abrupt departure of Lane Kiffin, which put Tennessee in a tough spot late in the coaching carousel cycle. After going 17-20 at Louisiana Tech from 2007-2009, Dooley went 15-21 at Tennessee over the next three seasons. His 2012 team featured one of the best Tennessee offenses in recent memory, complete with one of the worst defenses in recent memory. The latter ended up getting him canned before the 2012 season was over.

Ironically, current Tennessee offensive coordinator Jim Chaney was the interim coach for the final game against Kentucky.

The Giants have already hired Kevin Sherrer away from Tennessee to be their linebackers coach. Jeremy Pruitt is now left with a defensive opening to fill, along with an offensive opening to fill after David Johnson left for Florida State.