ATLANTA (AP) — Former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley announced on Monday that he is running as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Georgia for the 2026 election, challenging the current Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.

Dooley, who is 57, has the endorsement of Gov. Brian Kemp and has been hinting at his candidacy since June. He enters a Republican race that also includes U.S. Representatives Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, as well as activist Reagan Box.

Kemp chose to back Dooley after opting not to pursue the Senate seat himself. Georgia Republicans are keen to unseat Ossoff, who is seen as one of the most at-risk Democratic Senators seeking reelection next year.

In a two-minute campaign video, Dooley criticized Jon Ossoff, saying, “Professional politicians like Jon Ossoff are the problem. They stand for lawlessness, open borders, rampant inflation, and woke agendas. We need new leadership in Georgia. That’s why I’m running for Senate.”

Kemp and Trump held discussions to agree on a GOP candidate, with the idea that a candidate endorsed by both would become the leading contender. Kemp informed Collins and other potential candidates on July 24 of his support for Dooley, prompting Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King to exit the race. However, Trump has yet to give his endorsement, signaling potential challenges in their joint effort.

Despite having no prior experience in elected office, Dooley aims to position himself as a political outsider, akin to David Perdue’s successful 2014 Senate run in Georgia. He promises to bring “good, old-fashioned Georgia common sense” and pledges to “work with President Trump, fight for you, and always put Georgia first.”

Dooley is the son of legendary University of Georgia coach Vince Dooley and was a lawyer before he went into coaching. Derek Dooley was widely seen as a failure during his three years as head coach at Tennessee, compiling a 15-21 record with the Volunteers before he was fired in 2012. Since then, he has been an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys, the University of Missouri, the New York Giants and the University of Alabama.

As a teenager, Kemp was a frequent guest in the Dooley home, and he roomed with Derek’s older brother, Daniel Dooley, at the University of Georgia. Kemp has the most effective Republican political organization in Georgia, and Dooley has hired Kemp aides to run his race, including political strategist Cody Hall and fundraiser Chelsey Ruppersburg.

But a number of Republicans endorsed Collins after he entered the field last week, including former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Also backing the congressman are state senators including state Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte. Even one of Kemp’s official floor leaders in the state House, Rep. Matthew Gambill, parted ways with the governor to endorse Collins.

Opponents have already lampooned Dooley for failing to publicly support Trump before now. Someone launched an anonymous University of Tennessee-themed website called “Dooley’s Volunteers” that criticizes Dooley for a lack of conservative credentials, interspersed with quotes from sports reporters panning Dooley’s coaching tenure.

It’s the latest high impact move to back a political novice for Kemp, who tapped Kelly Loeffler as a U.S. senator before she lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a 2021 runoff. Her campaign was plagued by conflict between Kemp and Trump, who preferred another candidate. Losses by Perdue and Loeffler to Ossoff and Warnock, respectively, handed control of the U.S. Senate to Democrats.

Then in 2022, Trump anointed Georgia football legend Herschel Walker as the Republican nominee. Walker’s candidacy proved flawed and Kemp only swung in to help in the runoff, which Warnock won.

Their effort to jointly screen 2026 candidates produced some results — U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene declined a Senate run after pressure from other Republicans.

Dooley would be far from the first football coach to run for office. His late father was frequently discussed as a possible candidate and his mother, Barbara Dooley, lost a Republican primary for Congress in 2002. Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020 from Alabama and is now running for governor. University of Nebraska coaching legend Tom Osborne served three terms in the U.S. House.

Dooley walked on at the University of Virginia and earned a scholarship as a wide receiver. He earned a law degree from the University of Georgia and briefly practiced law in Atlanta before working his way up the college coaching ladder, becoming head coach for three years at Louisiana Tech before Tennessee.