Former Tennessee Coach Derek Dooley Is Running for Senate in Georgia

ABC News — Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach, is launching a bid Monday for the Senate in Georgia, entering a shifting political landscape as candidates vie for coveted endorsements and the chance to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Dooley is leaning on his football background in his campaign launch, highlighting the fact that he is a political outsider and likening his views on sports to the world of politics.

"The foundation of football is the American Spirit. You work hard, you play by the rules, you keep fighting when adversity hits -- you have a fair shot at achieving your dreams," Dooley’s campaign says in his release.

"As a coach, I wanted that for all my players. As your next U.S. Senator, I want that for all Georgians -- and all Americans."

It's time for the Georgia Democratic Party opposition research team to start grinding 2010-12 Tennessee football tape, because Derek Dooley may end up being their opponent for a Senate seat in a key battleground state. Dooley announced Monday he is entering the Republican primary to hopefully take on incumbent Senator John Ossoff, whose first term is up next year.

I know the initial comparison that comes to mind for Dooley's campaign is that of Herschel Walker, but I really don't think they're very analogous. Dooley is a pretty smart guy — he has a law degree from the University of Georgia — but also talks in a way that seems like it will play well as a Georgia politician. Ossoff won his seat in 2020 when Georgia also narrowly voted for Joe Biden, but the state swung back to Trump by several points in 2024. If Dooley makes it out of the primary, he can absolutely be a U.S. Senator.

I'm just excited for the ads that come from this. Dooley is obviously the son of legendary UGA football coach Vince Dooley, but he also coached at Tennessee. So that's obviously a mark against him, but does it actually help that he sucked in Knoxville? You could argue he's been helping the state of Georgia for more than a decade. Republican challenger Mike Collins already has an ad out against Dooley, accusing him of staying "on the sidelines."

If Dooley ends up making it to the general election, the worst stretch in Tennessee football history is somehow going to become a relevant topic in a U.S. Senate race. And you're going to see the clip of T-Bob snapping the ball with 13 Tennessee defenders on the field roughly 1,000 times.

I would also bet good money Dooley's metaphor about Erwin Rommel that began with, "We're like the Germans in World War II," will be used in some fashion.

Best of luck to Derek in his new career. Losing to Vanderbilt and Kentucky is disqualifying to be the head football coach at Tennessee, but there does not seem to be a rule in place precluding you from the U.S. Senate.