Southern University athletic director Roman Banks held a press conference Wednesday to address the dismissal of Eric Dooley and lay out plans for the football program ahead of the Bayou Classic.
Banks noted that he came to the decision not to retain Dooley after a Monday morning meeting with the coach, where they discussed a difference in philosophies as it related to the direction of the football program. It was during the conversation that Banks felt it was time to part ways with Dooley short of two seasons on the job.
“Looking at where we were last year versus this year, wasn’t (meeting) the expectations,” said Banks. “He (Coach Dooley) didn’t have a clear vision of the game plan going forward,” and that was “very frustrating at times.”
Banks said there was a lack of acceptance of responsibility that caused frustration among athletic administration and fans.
“Sometimes we have to accept responsibility and let them (the fans) know we are working to correct ourselves,” Banks explained. “Your coaching philosophy, your administration philosophy is when you stand in the gaps and say to the fans, to the people, and the media, ‘We missed this one, that’s on me, and we are going to make some changes.’
“In evaluation of all of that and having that conversation with him led us to this point. I just want to make sure some of the things that caused frustrations for us, our fans, and our players don’t happen with the next hire.”
Banks said there is no timeline for hiring a coach, and the search has not begun yet. Banks said there will be a “focused search” for the next head coach, though he already had candidates in mind for the job “in case of emergency.” Banks went on to say he would consider hiring a coach who did not have SWAC ties.
“You always have a short list of people for emergencies, and truthfully speaking, I have not started looking for a candidate, but I have candidates that I am interested in,” said Banks.
Southern announced assistant Terrence Graves will serve as the interim head coach. Graves had the same role for Grambling State heading into the 2020 iteration of the Bayou Classic following the dismissal of then-coach Broderick Fobbs.
Safeties coach Sean Wallace will serve as acting head coach for the Bayou Classic. Wallace was recently diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. Willie Totten, the Jaguars quarterbacks coach, will call plays during the Bayou Classic, Graves said.
Banks indicated that the school will “look for the best fit for this particular situation and the person that we think is going to move us to be that contender we want to be every year.”
“I need them to understand the job and be eager for the challenge,” he said.
