Former Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley running for U.S. Senate in Georgia's midterm elections

Derek Dooley has traded his coaching headset for a suit and American emblem pin. Last fall, nan erstwhile Tennessee caput coach mounted a bid for 1 of Georgia's U.S. Senate seats successful this year’s high-stakes midterm elections.

Dooley said he plans to beryllium "the past man standing" aft nan superior and nan wide election. He is leaning connected activity skills developed during his coaching profession — chiefly successful nan Southeastern Conference — arsenic he continues his transportation to undecided voters. His clip successful nan SEC besides allowed him to build relationships pinch Nick Saban and Kirby Smart.

Over a decade nether Smart, Georgia has reached 3 College Football Playoff nationalist title games, winning consecutive titles successful 2021 and 2022. Yet that occurrence has astatine times been overshadowed by off-field headlines, peculiarly speeding-related incidents involving players — astatine slightest 1 of which resulted successful a fatality.

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Georgia Bulldogs caput coach Kirby Smart tells nan students conception to calm down during nan 4th fourth of an NCAA shot crippled astatine EverBank Stadium successful Jacksonville, Fla., connected Nov. 1, 2025. (Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union)

"The champion point Kirby has done is he's won a batch of games," Dooley told Fox News Digital Tuesday successful an exclusive sitdown interview.

"I worked pinch Coach Smart astatine 2 different locations. I've known him for a agelong clip and I person a tremendous magnitude of respect for what he's doing for nan program. But erstwhile you're dealing pinch young group and young group make mistakes. I'm very assured that Coach Smart is school them nan correct values and school them really to enactment correct and has a disciplinary strategy that corrects that behavior."

Dooley continued, noting that athletics serves arsenic a conveyance for instilling values successful young adults and introducing preventive measures to thief them debar decisions that could negatively impact their futures. "That's what athletics is bully for ... And astatine immoderate constituent there's only truthful overmuch you tin do, but I'm very assured successful what Coach Smart is doing, and I cognize Georgia fans emotion nan occurrence we've had complete nan past fewer years."

Dooley and Smart worked together arsenic assistants astatine LSU opening successful 2003 nether then-head coach Nick Saban. Dooley past coached successful 2023 arsenic a elder violative expert at Alabama, again moving connected a unit led by Saban.

Tennessee caput coach Derek Dooley looks connected during nan Orange and White Game astatine Neyland Stadium successful Knoxville, Tennessee connected April 21, 2012. (Adam Brimer/News Sentinel Syndication)

In 2024, then-starting linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. and violative tackle Bo Hughley were arrested connected abstracted misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, booking records from nan Athens-Clarke County Sheriff's Office showed astatine nan time. The Philadelphia Eagles selected Mondon successful nan 5th information of nan 2025 NFL Draft.

"Please understand this: I'm defending nan program, but I'm not defensive," Smart told reporters astatine SEC media days successful 2024. "I americium going to guidelines up for my programme because we person bully kids successful our locker room. We gotta do a amended job." Smart besides confirmed that Georgia’s NIL corporate had begun issuing fines to players arsenic punishment.

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Those incidents surfaced much than a twelvemonth aft Devin Willock and recruiting unit personnel Chandler LeCroy were killed successful a car clang successful 2023. Then-Georgia protect lineman Jalen Carter was driving pinch a suspended licence during nan nighttime of that fatal wreck successful Athens, Georgia. Carter was later charged pinch misdemeanor reckless driving and racing. He pleaded nary title successful March 2023 and was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a $1,000 good and organization service. He was besides required to be a state-approved protect driving course.

Carter’s attorney, Kim Stephens, said successful a connection that her client’s actions did not origin nan January 2023 crash. Police alleged nan SUV LeCroy was driving raced Carter’s conveyance successful nan moments starring up to nan crash.

In March 2025, aggregate Georgia players, including wide receiver Nitro Tuggle and violative lineman Marques Easley, were indefinitely suspended by Smart. Last November, different violative lineman, Nyier Daniels, was dismissed from nan squad pursuing a high-speed, police-involved chase. Daniels allegedly drove much than 150 mph while attempting to fly constabulary successful Commerce, Georgia.

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Weighing nan national government’s domiciled successful assemblage sports

Name, image and likeness (NIL) has go a hotly debated rumor crossed Georgia and nan broader assemblage landscape.

As national lawmakers measurement a greater domiciled successful regulating assemblage athletics — a taxable highlighted by erstwhile President Donald Trump’s caller "Saving College Sports" roundtable astatine nan White House — Dooley cautioned against legislature intervention, arguing nan NCAA should beryllium fixed room to reside its ain challenges.

"Everybody should really attraction astir (this issue). You're looking astatine a feline whose been progressive successful athletics my full life. I've seen what assemblage athletics does, not conscionable football, assemblage athletics arsenic full does for young people. A batch of nan values that it teaches, difficult work, teamwork, accountability, individual responsibility, subject (and) overcoming adversity. ... I don't not judge Congress should spell successful and effort to hole assemblage athletics.... We cognize what their way grounds is connected that. But nan NCAA does request immoderate protection, we've sewage to springiness them a chance to hole themselves."

Pivot from shot to politics

Later this month, Georgia voters will determine which Republican campaigner will beforehand to a apt June runoff, pinch nan victor joining Independent candidates successful nan wide predetermination to look incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.

Former shot coach and Republican Senate campaigner Derek Dooley speaks to supporters of President Donald Trump astatine an arena hosted by Vice President JD Vance successful Peachtree City, Georgia, connected Aug. 21, 2025. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Dooley is among nan Republican candidates successful nan race. He explained to Fox News Digital why he believes nan timing is correct to displacement his attraction from nan gridiron to nan governmental arena.

"I've (had) a 28-year profession coaching shot and conscionable loved nan effect you made connected young group each time from each walks of life. And I was each in, ne'er looked up for aerial and thought I was going to do that my full career," Dooley said. "But 2 things really happened... it started really aft COVID and what happened nether nan past administration. I started seeing things successful our state that I thought I'd ne'er spot successful my lifetime, and it jarred maine a small bit. It made maine want to really get much engaged."

Dooley's father, nan precocious Vince Dooley, was nan legendary coach and erstwhile diversion head astatine Georgia. Vince Dooley coached Georgia to nan 1980 nationalist championship, a squad connected which All-American Herschel Walker was nan standout moving back. Walker won nan Heisman Trophy successful 1982.

Georgia Bulldogs caput coach Kirby Smart hugs Vince Dooley aft defeating nan Auburn Tigers successful nan SEC Championship crippled astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium successful Atlanta, Georgia, connected Dec. 2, 2017. (Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports)

He added: "As I became much engaged, I realized Congress had changed. Not moving for nan group nan measurement it utilized to. We've ever had a batch of passionate debate, a batch of bitter disagreement. We ever will and that's okay. But astatine immoderate constituent superior activity would get successful a room, we'd activity together for nan group and support nan shot moving guardant for our country. That's conscionable not happening today."

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Georgia’s midterm superior predetermination is scheduled for May 19. If nary campaigner receives a mostly of nan vote, nan apical 2 vote-getters will beforehand to a June 16 runoff.

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