TJ Dottery Returns to Ole Miss With Everything to Prove

The highly-anticipated week three matchup between the LSU Tigers and the Ole Miss Rebels has arrived, and the bad blood between the two programs has been on full display heading into the top-10 showdown.

While much of the focus has been on the return of head coach Lane Kiffin, who abruptly left the program before the end of the season to take the job in Baton Rouge, he isn't the only returning piece, as linebacker TJ Dottery also returns to what used to be his home.

As the key piece of the Tigers' vaunted defense, however, he still has more to prove, and another dominant performance could be the signal of what has changed going into 2026.

More than Just a Homecoming

Mississippi Rebels linebacker TJ Dottery (6) against the Miami Hurricanes during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Much of the focus entering the top-10 showdown, and the first conference game of the season for the Tigers, lies on the two coaching staffs on the opposite sides of the field, but when Kiffin went to Baton Rouge, he brought players from his last stop with him as well.

That includes Dottery, who spent three seasons with the Rebels, becoming a significant piece of their defense at the middle linebacker position. Over the course of his time there, starting in 27 games for the Rebels, he racked up 176 tackles, including 90 of them as solo tackles. He also added 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles.

Dottery followed Kiffin, believing that pairing himself next to Whit Weeks, could give the Tigers one of the best linebacker combinations in the country. That part has proved true through two games thus far, with 14 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two forced fumbles, nearly already matching his total from three seasons in Oxford.

Now, the meeting between the two teams is more than just a conference game, and the battle of the unbeaten. There is bad blood between the two programs, and for Dottery, the same offense that he supported on the sidelines last season, will be the victim of his play on Saturday.

There is more than a win at stake, as Dottery will also be proving he made the right decision to follow his coach, and with familiarity in the crowd atmosphere, and the game-day routine there, he could be primed for a big game.

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