TJ DOTTERY 2026 PROFILE

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TJ DOTTERY

(LB, Ole Miss, 5th Year Senior)

Lane Kiffin's leading tackler from 2025 returns....but not back at Ole Miss, instead trading Oxford for Kiffin's newest stopover, Baton Rouge and my my my is the fit perfect.

I said & wrote it multiple times...LSU needed a veteran linebacker, preferably a steady-handed tackling turbine who could be the platform that allows Whit Weeks' Southern-fried backfield chaos to reign supreme, and there are some good options in the portal, but taking TJ Dottery from Ole Miss' Pete Golding is just so satisfying isn't it??

Dottery, who started out at Clemson before transferring to Ole Miss as a sophomore, racked up 98 tackles last season (174 over the past 2 under Kiffin's leadership), and 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 3 PBUs, 3 FFs, and 1 fumble recovery during his 3 seasons in Oxford.

Right now, lining up alongside Whit Weeks and Davhon Keys, Blake Baker's defense will feature 3 of the top 5 leading active SEC tacklers....an exciting prospect that grows even more when looking at the pieces Kiffin & Baker added or retained up front and in behind....

Dottery's signing is a masterclass of roster building dynamics, a player who already fits like a glove, both in culture and defensive scheme, a veteran leader within a position group that's starting to skew on the younger side, and another grade A tackler in space alongside Weeks.

By the end of the 2026, we could be looking back and saying Dottery's signing mirrored the impact AJ Haulcy had on the ravenous 2025 defense....a mature, reliable, NFL-ambitious veteran blessed with proven pedigree as both a playmaker and an unimpeachable tackler.

After powerhouse signings like Dottery, Leavitt, Longstreet, Watkins, Ross, Brown, etc upon etc....you have to wonder if expectations for Kiffin's Year 1 must be raised significantly...

By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

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