NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Derek Dooley has traded his coaching headset for a suit and an American flag pin. Last fall, the former Tennessee head coach made a bid for one of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats in this year’s high-stakes midterm elections.
Dooley said he plans to be “the last man standing” after the primary and general election. He’s leaning on leadership skills developed during his coaching career — primarily in the Southeastern Conference — as he continues his pitch to undecided voters. His time in the SEC also allowed him to build relationships with Nick Saban and Kirby Smart.
Over a decade under Smart, Georgia has reached three College Football Playoff national championship games and won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. Yet that success has at times been overshadowed by off-field headlines, particularly speed-related incidents involving players — at least one of which resulted in a fatality.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart tells students to calm down during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 1, 2025. (Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union)
“The best thing Kirby has done is he’s won a lot of fights,” Dooley told Pakinomist Digital on Tuesday in an exclusive sitdown interview.
“I worked with Coach Smart at two different places. I’ve known him for a long time and I have tremendous respect for what he does for the program. But when you’re dealing with young people and young people make mistakes. I’m very confident that Coach Smart teaches them the right values and teaches them how to act right and has a disciplinary system that corrects that behavior.”
Dooley continued, noting that athletics serves as a means to instill values in young adults and put preventative measures in place to help them avoid decisions that could negatively impact their future. “That’s what athletics is good for. … And at some point there’s only so much you can do, but I’m very confident in what Coach Smart is doing and I know Georgia fans love the success we’ve had over the last few years.”
Dooley and Smart worked together as assistants at LSU beginning in 2003 under then-head coach Nick Saban. Dooley last coached in 2023 as a senior offensive analyst at Alabama, again working on a staff led by Saban.
Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley looks on during the Orange and White Game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee on April 21, 2012. (Adam Brimer/News Sentinel Syndication)
In 2024, the then linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. and offensive tackle Bo Hughley arrested on separate misdemeanor reckless driving charges, Athens-Clarke County Sheriff’s Office booking records showed at the time. The Philadelphia Eagles selected Mondon in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Please understand this: I’m defending the program, but I’m not defensive,” Smart told reporters at SEC Media Days in 2024. “I’m going to stand up for my program because we’ve got good kids in our locker room. We’ve got to do a better job.” Smart also confirmed that Georgia’s NIL collective had begun issuing fines to players as punishment.
MEMPHIS COACH LEAVES GEORGIA FOOTBALL PROGRAM OVER DRIVING-RELATED ARRESTS
Those incidents surfaced more than a year after Devin Willock and recruiter Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car crash in 2023. Then-Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter was driving with a suspended license the night of the fatal wreck in Athens, Georgia. Carter was later charged with reckless driving and racing. He pleaded no contest in March 2023 and was sentenced to 12 months’ probation, a $1,000 fine and community service. He was also required to attend a state-approved defensive driving course.
Carter’s attorney, Kim Stephens, said in a statement that her client’s actions did not cause the crash in January 2023. Police claimed the SUV LeCroy was racing Carter’s vehicle in the moments leading up to the crash.
In March 2025, several Georgia players, including wide receiver Nitro Tuggle and offensive lineman Marques Easley, were suspended indefinitely by Smart. Last November, another offensive lineman, Nyier Daniels, was dismissed from the team after a high-speed, police-involved chase. Daniels allegedly drove more than 150 mph while trying to flee from police in Commerce, Georgia.
GEORGIA’S KIRBY SMART SAYS BIG TEN IS ‘MORE COMPETITIVE CONFERENCE’ THAN SECOND AFTER CFP TITLE STREAK
Balancing the Federal Government’s Role in College Sports
Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has become a hotly debated topic across Georgia and the wider university landscape.
As federal lawmakers weigh a greater role in regulating college athletics — a topic highlighted by former President Donald Trump’s recent “Saving College Sports” White House roundtable — Dooley cautioned against congressional intervention and argued that the NCAA should have room to address its own challenges.
“Everybody should really care about (this case). You’re looking at a guy who’s been involved in athletics my whole life. I’ve seen what college athletics does, not just football, college athletics as a whole does for young people. A lot of the values it teaches, hard work, teamwork, accountability, personal responsibility, discipline (and) don’t believe in trying to go to college and not overcome. athletics… We know what their track record is on that, but the NCAA needs some protection, we have to give them a chance to correct themselves.
Turn from football to politics
Later this month, Georgia voters will decide which Republican candidate will advance to a likely June runoff, with the winner joining independent candidates in the general election to face incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.
Former football coach and Republican Senate candidate Derek Dooley speaks to supporters of President Donald Trump at an event hosted by Vice President JD Vance in Peachtree City, Georgia, on August 21, 2025. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Dooley is among the Republican candidates in the race. He explained to Pakinomist Digital why he believes the timing is right to shift his focus from the web to the political arena.
“I (had) a 28-year career coaching football and just loved the impact you made on young people every day from all walks of life. And I was all in, never looked up and thought I was going to do that my whole career,” Dooley said. “But two things really happened… it really started after COVID and what happened under the last administration. I started seeing things in our country that I thought I would never see in my life, and it shook me a little bit. It made me want to really get more engaged.”
Dooley’s father, the late Vince Dooley, was the legendary coach and former athletic director at Georgia. Vince Dooley coached Georgia to the 1980 national championship, a team where All-American Herschel Walker was the standout running back. Walker won the Heisman Trophy in 1982.
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart hugs Vince Dooley after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on December 2, 2017. (Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports)
He added: “As I got more involved, I realized that Congress had changed. Wasn’t working for the people like it used to. We’ve always had a lot of passionate debate, a lot of bitter disagreement. We always will, and that’s okay. But at some point serious leadership would come into a room, we would work together for the people and keep the ball rolling for our country. It’s just not happening today.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Georgia’s midterm primaries are scheduled for May 19. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff on June 16.
