By Billy Watkins
In the latter part of linebacker TJ Dottery’s senior season at Montgomery Catholic Prep, the 2021 Alabama roster was released for the annual all-star game against Mississippi.
His name wasn’t on it.
“I talked to him, said Kirk Johnson, his head coach at the time. “He was down. He couldn’t understand it. But I knew what was about to happen that Friday night.
“We were playing our rival, Trinity, and he put on a show. Made 15 tackles. Ran two interceptions back for touchdowns . . . he let everybody know, ‘Don’t sleep on me.’ He took over that game like Michael Jordan used to do in the NBA.”
“Oh yeah, I remember it,” said Dottery, now the leader of the Ole Miss defense. “I had an extra chip on my shoulder that night.”
He eventually made the roster and helped Alabama win 20-0.
Dottery is showing signs of having another chip on his shoulder as Ole Miss prepares to play Georgia on the road Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Ole Miss, No. 5 in the country, is 6-0 overall, 3-0 in the SEC. Georgia, ranked ninth, is 5-1 and 3-1.
“See, I’m a Georgia fan,” Johnson said, “and he’s already sent me a couple of texts.”
I won’t reveal exactly what they said, but let’s just say Dottery was offering Georgia some geographical directions.
It’s all in fun between Dottery and his former coach.
“I am so stinking proud of him,” Johnson said. “We talk after every Ole Miss game. He reminded me why I coach, We all want to win. Any coach who says winning doesn’t matter is lying. But I also want to make a difference in these kids’ lives .
“I tell them all the time, ‘When you get to the pearly gates of heaven, they’re not going to ask how many tackles you made. Life is so much more than that. TJ was one of the kids who listened and applied it. Plus, he comes from a wonderful faith-based family. I’m so grateful I had a chance to coach him.”
Dottery’s dad, Antoine, is a history teacher and football coach at Brewbaker Middle School in Montgomery. His mom, Carmen, is also a teacher and works in the office of technology services at Alabama State.
“Education was always first with them,” Dottery said.
His dad coached him, pushed him and motivated him.
“He told me, ‘If you’re going to play a sport, you’re going to work at it,’ ” Dottery said. “But he also told me, ‘Never feel like you have to play. If you want to stop, we’ll stop.’ I think he wanted to relieve any pressure I felt about playing.
“But I love football. I even love practice. Anytime I get to play football, I enjoy it.”
The love of the game began at age five when he earned the nickname “Bull” in the Montgomery city league pee wee program.
“As in ‘bull in a china shop,” Johnson said laughing. “Nobody could tackle him.”
The nickname stuck.
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Dottery was a four-star recruit out of high school and rated the 10th-best linebacker prospect in the nation.
Georgia didn’t recruit him. Auburn “flirted with him,” Johnson said. Alabama seriously recruited him but for some reason stopped after defensive coordinator Pete Golding left for Ole Miss.
“He’d always loved Clemson,” Johnson said, “but after a year there he realized that SEC ball is different.”
He hit the transfer portal after playing four games for the Tigers and redshirting.
It came down to Auburn and Ole Miss the second time around.
“I knew I wanted to be at Ole Miss,” Dottery said. “It was different. Coach (Lane) Kiffin makes the game fun and creates energy around the players. And Coach Pete is the best He’s always on top of everything.
“I saw that Ole Miss was headed for success. Me and my friends back home all believed it.”
After sitting out 2023 under NCAA rule (except for a few plays in the Peach Bowl), Dottery has been a steady force. He finished second in tackles a year ago (76) on a defense that was No. 1 in the nation against the run. He leads in tackles this year (37). He also is the undisputed leader of the defense.
“He’s worn that burden of leadership forever it seems like,” Johnson said. “Teammates look up to him.”
Already this year, Dottery has made what might have been a game-saving play against Arkansas. As the Razorbacks were driving for a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, Dottery stripped a receiver of the ball and the Rebels recovered.
That play becomes more important the deeper the season goes.
“What I remember most about that is how we worked extra hard that week in practice on stripping the ball,” Dottery said. “We do it a lot, anyway, but there was special emphasis on it that week.
“When the receiver cut back, all I could see was the football. It all happened so fast, but in my mind I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m fixing to get this one.’ ”
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Dottery watched from his apartment in Oxford in 2023 as Georgia mauled the Rebels 52-17 in Athens.
“I finally turned it off,” he said. “It was so hard having to sit out and not being out there with my brothers.”
Kiffin admitted postgame the Rebels had to recruit better, especially on the defensive front.
Ole Miss beefed up and beat Georgia in the rematch a year ago in Oxford 28-10. Dottery led the Rebels with 10 tackles.
“I remember during warmups, just looking at Georgia on the other end of the field warming up. I kinda felt like I knew what we were about to do,” he said. Once again this weekend, it’s Ole Miss vs. Georgia in a critical game for both teams.
“I’m excited because Coach Pete always comes up with his best plans in the biggest games,” Dottery said.
As for Dottery’s former coach, his allegiance to Georgia is under severe stress.
“Yes, I love Georgia,” Johnson said. “But even more than that, Im a fan of TJ Dottery.”
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