The VFL program became a big hit with the 2011 recruiting class, which turned the three-letter acronym into a slogan and source of pride. The program’s basic goal is educating players in topics beyond the field, such as how to handle money and leadership skills.
It’s become a selling point in recruiting and has helped Dooley and his staff identify what prospective recruits might fit best into a program that’s placing more of an emphasis on bringing in players with quality character to go with quality football skills.
“If you’re a young man and that appeals to you,” Dooley said in February, “what does it say about your character? By me selling that program, if a guy, that doesn’t interest him, then I don’t care how good he is, I probably won’t enjoy coaching him, so maybe he should go somewhere else. If I only sold the NFL, there’s a lot of other issues when they come on campus that I’m going to have to deal with that may not be so well.
“When you sell the right stuff, it allows me to know when they come here, everybody understands what I stand for, they understand what the expectations are.”
As the expectations for how much the Vols win on the field under Dooley continue to increase, the standards for behavior and conduct off it are likely to grow as well.
“It’s important to me as a head coach that we develop them as people,” Dooley said in February. “It’s something that is important to me.”
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