LSU’s defense may not have to wait long to find its next tone-setter. As the Tigers move into the 2026 season under Lane Kiffin, the spotlight naturally lands on the offense, but there’s a real case that one of the most important players on the roster is a linebacker who followed Kiffin to Baton Rouge: TJ Dottery.
Dottery arrives as a fifth-year senior with plenty of runway already behind him. He spent three seasons under Kiffin and started 27 games over his final two years in Oxford, giving LSU a veteran presence in the middle of a defense that will need reliable voices as it sorts through a roster with plenty of new faces.
Kiffin made it clear back in February why Dottery mattered so much to this transition. "I think TJ was really critical to me because when you come in, you want to bring coaches," Kiffin said in February.
"But in your locker room, too, if you can bring a player that understands your culture and is an alpha and a leader, that was really important. To not just get somebody that's been such a good player that I have been with for three years but have gone through things with."
That’s not just coach-speak. Dottery backed it up at Ole Miss, where he was a central piece of a defense that reached the College Football Playoff semifinals. He didn’t just lead the Rebels in tackles - he led the SEC, finishing with 98 total tackles, 48 solo stops, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
For LSU, that kind of production comes with immediate value. Dottery gives the Tigers an inside linebacker who has already shown he can handle a major workload and produce at an elite level. Paired with Whit Weeks, LSU could have one of the country’s best linebacker duos before the season even gets rolling.
That matters even more because the Tigers are also counting on sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett, who flashed as a freshman, to take another step. But Dottery stands out because he brings something a little different: a proven veteran who knows Kiffin’s system and can help set the standard for a defense that is still taking shape.
Dottery said in April that Kiffin’s role in his career made the decision feel natural. "The journey to Ole Miss from Clemson, Kiffin giving me that opportunity," Dottery said in April. "And once he got here (LSU), everything shook out; I felt like, why not go play for the coach who gave me an opportunity when a lot of other coaches didn’t at that time?”
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