“You remember the 2019 game?” asked LSU standout linebacker TJ Dottery.
It’s a question consisting of many answers, but he was referring to the epic LSU-Alabama game in Tuscaloosa, Ala. An SEC clash between the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in the country under the cool November sky.
LSU won, 46-41, and it was the first taste of Tiger football for the young kid hailing from Montgomery, Ala.
“I was from Alabama, so I went to the game in the Bama student section, and watching those guys like (Derek) Stingley and (Grant) Delpit, they ran to the student section and for me it was like ‘come to LSU.’ I kind of knew that’s where I wanted to go honestly,” said Dottery.
But his path to Baton Rouge wasn’t exactly a smooth ride down the bayou.
Growing up with his mother, father, and two little brothers, Dottery began playing football at the age of 5. During middle school, he had to catch a bus to travel to a different school to play football, as his school didn’t have sports.
High school was the first big decision he had to make. Montgomery magnet schools had basketball, but not football.
“I played basketball, too, I actually liked basketball more, I think just naturally I was more gifted at football,” he recalled.
Ultimately, he decided on attending Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School to play football and ran with it. Dottery finished his senior year as a 4-star recruit and committed to Clemson.
After his freshman year, he transferred to Ole Miss, where coach Lane Kiffin was commanding the ship, but Dottery was facing the toughest challenge of his football career.
Under NCAA rules, he was ineligible to play in the 2023 regular season.
“When I first got to Ole Miss and I was ineligible, I was on scout team, and he (Lane Kiffin) would come up to me every day and keep me going, he genuinely believed in me,” Dottery said. “It was a hard spot for me because even my freshman year I wasn’t on scout team, so that situation was hard for me, and he just believed in me. He’s a good dude.”
Football brought TJ Dottery and Lane Kiffin together at Ole Miss, but what developed between the two extended far beyond the game. So much so that Dottery came along with Kiffin to play at the place he had always wanted to, LSU.
After leading the SEC in total tackles with 98 and adding 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks during his junior season at Ole Miss in 2025, he became a centerpiece of a reloaded LSU defense this season.
“The guys we brought in all have good character, none of us came in with a big head thinking, ‘oh we’re bigger than everybody,’ and then the returning guys had open arms. When we had questions, they were able to help us,” Dottery said of the LSU team.
It didn’t take long for Dottery to make an impression on the roaring Tiger Stadium crowd. In week 2 against Louisiana Tech, he recorded nine tackles and two forced fumbles.
“My instinct for the game is probably the biggest thing for me. They take over sometimes out there and I make plays I wasn’t even thinking about with my knowledge for the game and knowledge in general,” explained Dottery. “I think I’m very smart in knowing what I’ve got to do and what everyone around me has to do.”
It’s who he is and has always been. The kid that would take the long bus rides across town to play the game he loves.
“Football is fun. I think every part of it is fun, conditioning, working out, it’s always fun,” Dottery said with a smile.
He brings the energy on Saturdays, and now he gets to do it in the same jersey he once envisioned himself playing in. The Alabama kid has embraced Louisiana, and he wants to do everything he can to represent the state that has shown him the same love back.
“It’s been fun since I got here, it’s been everything I thought it would be. I haven’t had a day where I’ve regretted it or just genuinely haven’t had fun doing this. Everybody’s cool,” said Dottery. “I just want the fans to know how much I really care and just want the program to be great, I really want LSU to be back on top, and I’m going to do everything I can to cement that. I do love it here for sure, I love it here.”