TJ Dottery’s path through college football has taken him from Clemson to Ole Miss and now LSU, but the Montgomery native still sounds like a guy rooted in the people who knew him first.
The LSU linebacker was at SEC Media Days in Tampa on Thursday with coach Lane Kiffin, the same coach he followed from Oxford to Baton Rouge this offseason. But when Dottery talked about why he made the move from Ole Miss, he pointed back home and to the advice of Montgomery Catholic coach Kirk Johnson, who is now at Benjamin Russell.
“I talk to Coach Johnson, probably every day,” Dottery said. “You know, he’s a great leader and mentor in my life, almost as another father figure. So, just wanted to get his input on it and he believed in me and was confident in my decision.”
That connection runs deep for Dottery, who teamed with Johnson to help Montgomery Catholic reach the state championship game in 2021. It also extends to Auburn running back Jeremiah Cobb, another former Catholic teammate Dottery still keeps in regular contact with through a group chat for Montgomery Catholic graduates.
“Jeremiah Cobb that’s my guy. I have a close relationship with him as well being on that high school team with him,” Dottery said.
“We’ve been through a lot together and that’s also another guy I can talk to at any time of the day. We all have a group chat with all the graduates from Montgomery Catholic.
So, we talk often, honestly.
“It’s going to be awesome playing at home too especially not having played them before. Growing up in Alabama that’s all you hear.
It’s awesome. But again, this is another opportunity to play football.
I love football.”
Dottery’s season will open with a familiar name on the other sideline, too. LSU starts the year against Clemson on Saturday, Sept. 5 on ABC, meaning the fifth-year senior will face the school where his college journey began.
On the field, Dottery brings production with him. Last season at Ole Miss, he led the SEC with 98 tackles and added 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks to his 2025 stats.
LSU also has another familiar face in the mix in Malik Blocton, the former Auburn transfer who hopes to crack the starting defense. Dottery said the two knew each other before arriving in Baton Rouge, having once lined up as high school rivals with Blocton at Pike Road.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really cool, especially growing up together and playing each other at high school,” Dottery said.
“Even at the time when I first entered the portal, just talking to him, but I didn’t even know where he was going. We talked about the opportunity to maybe play with each other.
That’s been cool. And since we’ve been here, it’s been awesome.”
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