Derek Dooley, a former football coach at the University of Tennessee, has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Georgia. Dooley, the son of legendary University of Georgia head coach Vince Dooley, announced he will enter the GOP primary field. The winner looks to oust incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff, which Republicans view as a potential seat to flip. “Professional politicians always put themselves first. It’s time to put Georgia First. That’s why I’m running for Senate,” Dooley wrote on social media. “Professional politicians like Jon Ossoff are the problem. Lawlessness. Open season on the border. Inflation everywhere. Woke stuff. That’s what they represent,” Dooley said in a campaign ad. “We need new leadership in Georgia,” he added. Check it out: Professional politicians always put themselves first. It’s time to put Georgia First. That’s why I’m running for Senate. pic.twitter.com/og7TdsPbQ9 — Derek Dooley (@DerekDooleyGA) August 4, 2025 More from the New York Post: Dooley is believed to have the backing of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, a family friend who passed on challenging Ossoff himself. Vince Dooley, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 90, guided the Bulldogs to six SEC championships and the national title in 1980. The elder Dooley both endorsed and campaigned with Trump ahead of the 2016 election. Derek Dooley followed in his father’s footsteps but with less success. After three seasons as the head coach at Louisiana Tech, he was hired by the University of Tennessee, where he failed to have a winning season in three attempts and was fired with one game remaining in the 2012 campaign. Dooley most recently held a position as a senior offensive analyst on Nick Saban’s staff at the University of Alabama. “Unlike Ossoff, I’ll work with President Trump to implement his agenda, support his Administration, and move our country forward,” Dooley said in a statement, according to NBC News. “I’m not part of the political establishment, and I haven’t spent my life climbing the D.C. political ladder,” he added. Dooley joins a crowded GOP primary field that includes Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter. ‘Mike Collins War Room,’ which bills itself as the “official team account” for Mike Collins’ campaign, quickly released an attack ad against Dooley. “Not even an assassin’s bullet in Butler, PA could get Derek Dooley off the sidelines. He’s no fighter,” the page wrote. Watch the ad: Not even an assassin's bullet in Butler, PA could get Derek Dooley off the sidelines. He's no fighter. pic.twitter.com/1Zdan8xDUw — Mike Collins War Room (@TeamOverhaulGA) August 4, 2025 NBC News noted: Dooley joins a field that includes two sitting members of the House, both hoping to capture the MAGA wing of the GOP. Rep. Mike Collins, who has an active and sometimes controversial social media profile, and Rep. Buddy Carter are both in the race. Dooley hopes to bridge the gap between the Kemp wing of the party and MAGA loyalists after Trump sparred publicly with Kemp and other Georgia officials who refused to challenge his loss in the 2020 election in the state. Kemp and Trump have since repaired their relationship and have vowed to work together to help support the best candidate to beat Ossoff. Dooley believes he fits the bill. The son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, the younger Dooley is making his first foray into politics. His launch video starts with old film of his father’s coaching days at the University of Georgia and makes a quick pivot to promising to work with Trump if he is elected to the Senate.