TJ Dottery Ready to Make Impact For Ole Miss After 2023 Waiting Game

The Ole Miss Rebels could have a special playmaker on their hands in the form of linebacker TJ Dottery.

Ole Miss linebacker TJ Dottery / Ole Miss Athletics | TJ Dottery on Instagram

Ole Miss linebacker TJ Dottery had to wait a while to make his Rebels football debut, but after hitting the field in the 2023 Peach Bowl, he has evolved into a major part of the defense.

Dottery (formerly named TJ Dudley) sat out the entire 2023 regular season awaiting a ruling from the NCAA, but once he was finally allowed to play, he made the most of his opportunity, picking up two tackles in the Rebels' bowl win over Penn State. Dottery was a hot commodity during his high school recruitment, holding offers from Texas, Oregon and others before opting to sign with Clemson.

Once he transferred to Ole Miss and had to play scout team, things were obviously different than he anticipated early in his college career, but he held on throughout the process.

"Of course, like you said, it wasn't the plan," Dottery said on Friday, "but each and every day, I just looked at it as an opportunity to get better. Going against the starting offense every day, it can only make me better. Going 110 percent and giving those guys a look for who they're playing that week."

Needless to say, when Dottery not only got on the field but made some plays against Penn State in the Peach Bowl, it showed that his waiting had paid off.

"It felt good, a confidence booster for sure," Dottery said. "Just being able to get out there after not being out there for a while, being able to get back in the flow of things and live game speed, it was really fun. It was awesome."

The linebacker room at Ole Miss has, at times, been "glossed over" in analysis this offseason. Not that that's a bad thing; the Rebels just have obvious talking points along the defensive line and in the secondary that have attracted more attention. But players like Dottery could be key in making the defense run smoothly this season, especially due to in-helmet communication now being allowed in college football.

Dottery describes his play at linebacker as "physical, fast and smart" with an extra dose of versatility. Perhaps it's those qualities that have made him an early user of the in-helmet communication on the defensive side of the ball in fall camp, hearing direct instructions from defensive coordinator Pete Golding.

"It's been really cool," Dottery said. "I've had it all fall camp, so it's been really good being able to talk to him, especially with how good our offense is with communication. Just being able to have communication with him when they're checking things is good."

The Rebels will continue their work in fall camp until the season opener at home against the FCS Furman Paladins on Aug. 31.