Brett Davis-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
One of the biggest developments of LSU’s offseason was the return of Whit Weeks.
In 2024, Weeks was as productive a linebacker as any in the Southeastern Conference. He finished the season second in the league in tackles with 125. His 61 solo stops led the conference.
Injuries hampered Weeks all of the 2025 campaign. He sat out most of the spring and was eased into the fall because of the broken ankle/leg he suffered in the Texas Bowl. Then he broke the other ankle against Ole Miss in September. He was never able to fully return.
While Weeks nursed injury, TJ Dottery of Ole Miss and Davhon Keys at LSU finished first and second in the league in stops. Now all three share a meeting room.
WHAT WE KNOW
Dottery was a late defection from Ole Miss. He and Princewill Umanmielen hopped in the portal just before the deadline and followed their former head coach to LSU.
Dottery has followed a winding college path.
He originally committed to Oregon as three-star linebacker in the Class of 2022. He flipped to Clemson near the end of the cycle and signed with the Tigers. Then, he was TJ Dudley. After a season at Clemson, he was dismissed from the program for a violation of team rules.
At that point, he changed his name to TJ Dottery and transferred to Ole Miss. He sat out the 2023 season and has been a two-year starter at Ole Miss since.
He was second on a stout 2024 Ole Miss defense in tackles and led the conference in stops in 2025. He’s 6-foot-2 and 230 lbs.
Pro Football Focus only graded him a 54.4 for the season. That included a 60.2 against the run, 60.5 tackling and 50.2 in tackling.
THE FIT
Dottery is a high-floor addition to the defense.
He’s not an elite player, but he’s a very productive one. Weeks, Keys and Dottery form a trio that has been in the top two in tackles in the SEC over the last two seasons. That’s an impressive foundation for Blake Baker.
Only one of the young linebackers on the roster transferred. Jaiden Braker bolted. That retention says about Baker’s culture.
Zach Weeks, Charles Ross, Keylan Moses, CJ Jimcoily and Tylen Singleton return.
Because of that, LSU wasn’t actively seeking linebackers this offseason. Dottery was a late entrant to the portal with a relationship with Lane Kiffin and Billy Glasscock, so he was a take.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
Dottery will play right alongside Weeks in the middle of the LSU defense. Those guys will make a truckload of tackles in purple and gold.
One of the safeties is likely to come down to play STAR, so I think Dottery and Weeks are the primary backers. Keys and Singleton will play, but their roles will be limited to three linebackers sets.
I think Dottery and Weeks, if healthy, will be LSU’s top two tacklers and finished in the top 10 in the SEC.
I also think the fact that Dottery was sent to SEC Media Days after being dismissed from Clemson was a positive outcome from a bad situation. Now he lands at his third and final college stop.
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