TAMPA, Fla. — Amid the incestuous back and forth between LSU and Ole Miss, TJ Dottery‘s transfer hardly headlined the transactions list.
Lane Kiffin was the star of that drama, and his assistants created a little buzz. Multiple LSU staffers joined the Rebels. Private planes left parallel jet streams between Oxford and Baton Rouge. As the Ole Miss season ended, Dottery took time to determine whether or not he would transfer for the second time.
“It was late,” Dottery said of his portal entry. “I kind of waited, just wanted to focus on the season and give the guys my all in terms of football. Once the season ended, I kind of sat back and looked at the opportunity for what it was. The rich history, the defense and the great talent that has come through LSU. It was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down.”
Dottery spent three winning seasons at Ole Miss. His defensive coaches were largely staying put, and plenty of his teammates would be around for 2026. The transfer portal has a way of creating a bidding war. Dottery had not signed a revenue share contract with Ole Miss.
The decisions weighed heavily.
“It was really difficult. It might be harder than some people even thought from the relationships that I’ve built with the coaches but more importantly the players,” he said. “All of those guys are my brothers. I feel like we’ve got relationships that will last after football. It was really hard not even thinking about the fans from that standpoint how they took me in and kind of took me in as their own.”
Rebel defensive coordinator turned head coach Pete Golding didn’t let his leading tackler head to Baton Rouge easily. As Golding described on Wednesday, a legacy at Ole Miss is important. The 2025 team reached heights not seen in Oxford since the 60s. A departure tarnishes that. Of course, Golding used a little more colorful language, suggesting Ole Miss fans “wouldn’t piss on (Kiffin) if he was on fire” after the new LSU coached left town.
“(Golding) kind of told me the same general statements in the conversations.,” Dottery said. “I knew that would kind of be the aftermath of me leaving. I understood where he was coming from, but my decision personally wasn’t personal. It’s all business, and I hope everyone understands that. I understood where he was coming from.”
Dottery’s business in now roaming the middle of LSU’s defense. He’ll flank team captain and all-American Whit Weeks. Those two have become fast friends over the course of the spring and summer.
“That guy, me and him have created an insane relationship over the last seven months,” Weeks said. “We hang out all the time outside of the football facility. I think building that friendship where we trust each other, so to have that trust off the field, it’s a lot easier to build trust on the field than it is to build trust off the field. To have a guy next to me that I can rely on no matter what that has a similar mindset to me.”
Weeks has been able to introduce Dottery to Baton Rouge. Dottery, in turn, can explain the culture Kiffin is crafting.
Both players have finished in the top two in the SEC in tackles over the last two seasons. They figure to pile them up by the dozen this fall. Weeks sees similarities in their games and demeanors.
“Super high motor. Super high energy,” Weeks said of Dottery. “Plays sideline to sideline and then after he makes a big play, he’s going to get up and go crazy. And I know he’ll go crazy when I make a big play. I’ll go crazy when he makes a big play. So, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Dottery has been peppered by his new teammates with questions about Kiffin. Things changed rapidly at LSU in December and January. It all felt comfortable to Dottery who had multiple years of experience dealing with Kiffin.
“You can take a misconception from social media sometimes,” Dottery said. “A lot of guys did ask me that. Even from a social media standpoint, he doesn’t talk as much as it might seem he does. He isn’t as talkative. A lot of guys asked me how he was, and I was able to translate and be transparent about what he is. It wasn’t hard.”
Kiffin’s return to Oxford has been a hot topic since December. That discussion heated up again this week and isn’t going anywhere. It’s also a return for all the assistants that made the move with Kiffin and three players — Dottery, Princewill Umanmielen and Winnie Watkins.
Hundreds of transfers will play a former team this fall and moving forward in this era of collegiate athletics. LSU’s trio is not unique. However, the LSU-Ole Miss game has an elevated feel for those on the outside looking in.
“It’s going to be fun,” Dottery said. “It’s just another opportunity to play football. Of course, emotions might be high for some people, but it’s just another chance to play football…Even the guys that we have now are a great group of guys. They’re focused and won’t let any social media or outside thing control the narrative or emotions.”
