Derek Dooley has traded his coaching headset for a suit and American flag pin. Last fall, the former Tennessee head coach mounted 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 the general election. He is 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, winning consecutive titles in 2021 and 2022. Yet that success has at times been overshadowed by off-field headlines, particularly speeding-related incidents involving players — at least one of which resulted in a fatality.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM”The best thing Kirby has done is he’s won a lot of games,” Dooley told Fox News Digital Tuesday in an exclusive sitdown interview.”I worked with Coach Smart at two different locations. I’ve known him for a long time and I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he’s doing for the program. But when you’re dealing with young people and young people make mistakes. I’m very confident that Coach Smart is teaching them the right values and teaching them how to act right and has a disciplinary system that corrects that behavior.”Dooley continued, noting that athletics serves as a vehicle for instilling values in young adults and introducing preventive measures to help them avoid decisions that could negatively affect their futures. “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.In 2024, then-starting linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. and offensive tackle Bo Hughley were arrested on separate misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, booking records from the Athens-Clarke County Sheriff’s Office 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 am going to stand up for my program because we have good kids in our locker room. We gotta do a better job.” Smart also confirmed that Georgia’s NIL collective had begun issuing fines to players as punishment.MEMPHIS COACH TAKES SWIPE AT GEORGIA FOOTBALL PROGRAM OVER DRIVING-RELATED ARRESTSThose incidents surfaced more than a year after Devin Willock and recruiting staff member Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car crash i
Former Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley running for U.S. Senate in Georgia’s midterm elections
