KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- University of Tennessee Athletics Director Mike Hamilton officially introduced Derek Dooley to Vols fans as the new head coach of the Big Orange Friday night.

Louisiana Tech spokesperson David Guerin confirmed to Volunteer TV News by phone late Friday afternoon that Dooley resigned as head football coach and athletic director at 4 pm eastern Friday, and accepted the head football coaching job at UT. That confirmation was followed by a news release from the school.

Dooley was quick to tout his SEC roots during his first appearance as a Volunteer.

"I grew up in this conference. It didn't take me long as a youngster to realize that Tennessee is the essence of college football," he said. "As a young coach, when I got into the profession, I always said, 'If I could do it the way [Fulmer] does it, what a way to coach.' "

Dooley also coached with Nick Saban for seven year-- five at conference rival LSU and two years with the Miami Dolphins in the NFL.

"I'm sure that if I had stayed with Nick the last three years (and gone to Alabama), I would be a more popular candidate for this job now," Dooley said. "But because of my three years at Louisiana Tech, I believe I am a better and more qualified candidate now."

Dooley spent the last three years as head coach at La. Tech, and he doubled as the school's athletics director for the last two years.

"It was a program that was struggling and hadn't made a lot of investment in football," Dooley said. "I'm very proud of what we did in three years."

He garnered applause and laughter from onlookers, when he talked about his plans and expectations.

"I'm not about to sell this program and what we're going to do in a soundbite," he said. "We're going to represent this institution with class on and off the field, and we're going to be a fun team to watch."

The new coach fielded several questions about the perceived turmoil left in the three days following Lane Kiffin's sudden departure from Knoxville. Dooley says it's something he addressed with the Vols football team when he met with them for the first time, just minutes before the news conference.

"The first thing I told the team is I'm never going to ask them to trust me," he said. "That's something that has to be earned, and it's going to be earned in time."

"I sympathize for them, but if you think this is as hard as it gets in life, you're in for a ride. We're going to move forward and not dwell on what happened," Dooley said. "Sometimes you have to dust your breeches, and move on."

Dooley comes to Knoxville with his wife, Dr. Allison Jeffers Dooley, and their three children, one of whom has a name that's dear to Vol fans.

"I'm glad to finally be in a state where Peyton will be well received," he joked.

Leading up to the introduction

Pilot Oil's jet airplane landed at Ruston Municipal Airport near the campus of Louisiana Tech to bring Dooley and a contingent of UT officials back to Knoxville.

Meanwhile, one of Louisiana Tech's most influential boosters is talking about Dooley.

"(UT fans) are going to like him," Steve Davison told Volunteer TV by phone this afternoon. "He's intelligent, competitive, and unbelievable organized."

"I'd liken him to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company," he said. "You're getting a Fortune 500 CEO-type coach."

On the tough task ahead of Dooley, namely keeping members of UT's recruiting class, Davison says Dooley should do just fine:

"Parents and recruits are going to find him to be a very credible person...I would bet on him coming in and shoring up some key recruits."

Davison says he talked to Dooley Friday morning and said the deal, if it hasn't already happened, is really, really likely.

When introducing Dooley as the new coach on the UT Campus, Hamilton said he offered Dooley the job around 4 p.m.

Dooley went 17-20 in three seasons at La Tech, including 8-5 in 2008, when he won the Independence Bowl.

"When you look at the Louisiana Tech record, it's misleading," Davison said. "It's not a good reflection of the job he did."

Hamilton and David Blackburn, senior associate athletics director for administration and football operations, arrived in Ruston, Louisiana, around 12:30 eastern time on a private jet owned by Anderson Companies Charles Anderson.

That plane left around 2 pm, just as Haslam's plane arrived.

A reporter for the Louisiana Tech newspaper says Haslam's jet with Dooley and the UT contingent left Louisiana just before 6 p.m. eastern time.

The plane arrived at TAC Air around 8 p.m.

Earlier in the day Friday, The Salt Lake Tribune reported University of Utah's head football coach Kyle Whittingham also turned down UT's offer.

The Salt Lake Tribune reporter Lya Wodraska says Whittingham met with Tennessee officials who flew into Provo on Thursday night.

The newspaper reports Whittingham was offered the job, but turned it down.

This latest information came about an hour after The Shreveport Times first reported Louisiana Tech's Dooley was close to being named the University of Tennessee's head football coach.

According to the newspaper, Dooley, canceled end-of-the-season player meetings with his players on Wednesday and left Ruston.

Times' reporter Glenn Guilbeau reports Dooley met with Tennessee officials on Wednesday and Thursday.