Lane Kiffin’s exit from Ole Miss enraged the Rebels fans for a variety of reasons. The fanbase accused their former head coach of raiding the coaching staff, players, and recruits while Ole Miss was preparing for a playoff game. The headline departures included the likes of Chris Kiffin, Charlie Weis Jr., and Joe Cox. The players, on the other hand, went under the radar. One of them has cleared their reasons for switching camps.

“The biggest factor for me, honestly, was LSU itself talking about the rich history of defense and talented players they’ve had, and on both sides of the ball, offense and defense,” former Ole Miss linebacker TJ Dottery said about his LSU move at the SEC Media Days. “I felt like that was an opportunity I could see myself being a part of.”

Lane Kiffin recruited Dottery as a four-star recruit when he became a standout LB following multiple state honors. However, he committed to Clemson and chose Dabo Swinney’s development in a strong 2022 class. Just after a single season and redshirting with the Tigers, he finally came to Kiffin’s camp via the portal. Dottery didn’t take long to impress at Oxford.

Even though he sat out the 2023 regular season due to transfer rules, he appeared in the postseason Peach Bowl against Penn State. The 2024 season became his breakthrough as he started 12 games for Ole Miss. He showed extreme physicality at the point of attack and emerged as a defensive leader in the locker room while notching 76 tackles. His 2025 season was even more stellar.

Dottery was pivotal in leading Ole Miss in its first-ever playoff appearance. He started all 15 games for the team and led the SEC with 98 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Once the season ended, he saw his position coach, Chris Kiffin, and head coach leave for the Baton Rouge program; he couldn’t resist following them.

TJ Dottery opens up about his relationship with former teammates

If things hadn’t turned out as they did, Dottery would have liked Kiffin coaching at Ole Miss. Before that Egg Bowl, when the Rebels’ hierarchy gave Lane Kiffin an ultimatum amid LSU speculation, many players publicly urged Kiffin to stay. One of those players was TJ Dottery, who cherished the “relationship” and the fact that Lane Kiffin gave him an opportunity at Ole Miss when many didn’t believe in him. That’s probably the major reason Dottery followed Kiffin to LSU. Still, what he achieved at Ole Miss and how the teammates propelled him was far greater.

“Maybe once a week I feel like I got a great relationship with everybody,” Dottery said about how often he talks to his Ole Miss teammates. “I was on the team, especially when I was there. I can talk to them about anything. And most of the time when we talk is not even about football. …The relationship that I have with even Coach Golden and the players, man. I think that would last beyond football, and I think we’re all on a great standard, and there was nothing personal.”

LSU has added several players from the portal this year as Kiffin plans to continue the ‘portal+high school’ approach. In the LB room, though, Dottery is the only player from the portal, and returning lineman Whit Wheeks will man the MLB position. Not just that, the roster is studded with high-profile portal players like Jordan Seaton, Sam Leavitt, and Jackson Harris on the offense. On defense, Kiffin is mostly using players from the 2025 LSU team.