By KIM CHANDLER, Associated Press

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who entered politics after a successful career as a head football coach at Auburn and three other major college programs, announced Tuesday that he is running for governor of Alabama next year.

His announcement on the Will Cain Show on Fox News followed weeks of speculation, and associates saying Tuberville planned to enter the race.

“I’m a football coach. I’m a leader. I’m a builder. I’m a recruiter, and we’re going to grow Alabama,” Tuberville said. “We’re going to bring manufacturing to this state. We’re going to stop this illegal immigration. We’re going to make education better again, and we’re going to do everything possible to make sure our kids … stay in this state and work.”

The former coach is expected to be a formidable entry in the governor’s race. Two-term Republican Gov. Kay Ivey cannot run again because of term limits.

Tuberville made the announcement in front of his family and friends at an Auburn barbecue restaurant. Many wore baseball hats with the word “Coach” that were distributed in the colors of both Auburn University and the University of Alabama.

He harnessed fame from his college coaching days to win election to the U.S. Senate in 2020, casting himself as a political outsider closely aligned with President Donald Trump. “God sent us Donald Trump,” Tuberville said during his campaign.

Bill Armistead, the former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, said Tuberville’s presence will make other would-be candidates “think twice” about jumping in the gubernatorial race.

“I would be very surprised if Senator Tuberville is not elected governor of the state of Alabama,” Armistead said.

Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who had been expected to run for governor, announced last week that he would not seek the office.

In the 2020 Republican primary, Tuberville defeated former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who held the Senate seat for two decades before resigning to become Trump’s attorney general in 2017. Months later, Tuberville defeated incumbent Doug Jones, who had been the first Alabama Democrat elected to the Senate in decades.

During his time in the Senate, Tuberville has continued to align himself closely with Trump.

In 2023, he maintained a monthslong blockade on military promotions over his opposition to a Pentagon policy that provided travel funds and support for troops and their dependents who seek abortions but are based in states where they are now illegal.

Tuberville, a native of Arkansas, was the head football coach at Auburn from 1999 to 2008, where he led the team to eight consecutive bowl appearances and one Southeastern Conference championship. He also served as head coach at Mississippi, Texas Tech and the University of Cincinnati, retiring in 2016. He is sometimes referred to as “Coach” instead of “senator” by those that work with him.

Club for Growth PAC last week preemptively week endorsed Tuberville in the governor’s race “should he announce his candidacy.”

Tuberville faced questions about his residency in the 2020 Senate race, where his political opponents referred to him as a “Florida man” or a “tourist in Alabama” as they questioned if he lived in the state.

The Alabama Constitution requires that governors must have been “resident citizens of this state at least seven years next before the date of their election.”

Property tax records show he owns a $270,000 home in Auburn, where he claims a homestead exemption, and a $4 million beach home in Walton County, Florida.

Voting records show that Tuberville switched his voter registration from Florida to Alabama in 2019. He and his wife last voted in Florida on Nov. 6, 2018.