Former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley has announced he is running for the U.S. Senate in the state of Georgia.
Dooley officially announced on Monday that he has entered the 2026 U.S. Senate race as a Republican. Dooley, who has been endorsed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, joins a Republican field that includes Buddy Carter, Mike Collins and Reagan Box.
Republicans in Georgia are hoping to defeat incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff.
In a two-minute video entitled “Georgia First” that was released on Monday, Dooley announced his intention to run on many of the same policies as U.S. President Donald Trump.
Professional politicians always put themselves first.
— Derek Dooley (@DerekDooleyGA) August 4, 2025
It’s time to put Georgia First. That’s why I’m running for Senate. pic.twitter.com/og7TdsPbQ9
Dooley, who has no experience in politics, is a Georgia native and the son of former Bulldogs head coach Vance Dooley. The 57-year-old was the head coach at Tennessee from 2010-2012. He was fired following three consecutive losing seasons. Dooley was blasted by several former Volunteers players after he was ousted.
Dooley’s most recent coaching job was as a senior offensive analyst under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2022-2023. He was the head coach at Louisiana Tech for three seasons before being hired at Tennessee and has held several positions in college and the NFL as an assistant coach.
