Ex-Tennessee Football Coach Derek Dooley Running for Senate in Georgia

Derek Dooley is the latest college football coach to throw his headset into the political ring. 

The former Tennessee coach announced on Monday he will run in the Republican primary for Georgia’s Senate seat. Democrat Jon Ossoff ousted David Perdue to win the seat in 2021.

Dooley, 57, has been endorsed by Ga. Gov. Brian Kemp and first hinted at a possible run in June. Kemp also contemplated a run, but decided against it and turned to Dooley for the spot. The seat will be one of the most hotly contested of the 2026 midterm elections. The state’s Republican primary is May 19, 2026. 

“Professional politicians like Jon Ossoff are the problem,” Dooley said in his launch video. “Lawlessness, open season on the border, inflation everywhere, woke stuff, that’s what they represent. We need new leadership in Georgia. That’s why I’m running for Senate.”

U.S. House representatives Buddy Carter and Mike Collins have already declared their candidacy for the seat, as has horse trainer Reagan Box. 

Dooley is running despite the lack of endorsement by President Trump, who previously agreed with Kemp that they would mutually decide on a candidate.

The son of legendary coach Vince Dooley, who led Georgia to the 1980 national championship, Derek has never held elective office. He played college football at Virginia, went to law school at Georgia, and practiced law in Atlanta before pursuing a coaching career. 

He got his first head coaching job at Louisiana Tech, where he also doubled as the school’s athletic director for three years. He coached Tennessee from 2010 to 2013 and went 15–21 in his tenure with just one bowl appearance. 

Dooley has frequently coached under Nick Saban throughout his career, working for him at LSU, the Dolphins and Alabama, the last of which was his most recent coaching position. Dooley served as an offensive analyst at Alabama from 2022 to 2023. He also coached with the Cowboys, Giants and was Missouri’s offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2019. 

Dooley has fashioned himself as a political outsider, saying he will use “old fashioned Georgia common sense” in his launch video while vowing to work with Trump .

Dooley is far from the first college coach to turn to politics, though he doesn’t have nearly as much on-field success to sell as others. Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville coached at Mississippi,  Auburn, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech over a combined 21 years and went 159–99. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne served three terms in the House before losing the GOP primary for governor in 2006.