After losing their top three linebackers from last season, Kalen DeBoer and his staff had their eyes on a homegrown talent who just wrapped up a dominant year in the SEC. The Montgomery native led the entire conference in tackles during the 2025 season and seemed like a perfect fit for the Crimson Tide’s defensive needs. But Kalen DeBoer won’t be getting his man for some moral reasons.

TJ Dottery committed to LSU on Friday night, choosing to reunite with his former head coach. The decision came swiftly after Dottery entered the transfer portal earlier this week and took a visit to Baton Rouge from January 15-16. Lane Kiffin’s Tigers landed one of the portal’s top linebackers, adding a proven tackling machine who racked up 98 total tackles in 2025 to lead the SEC. For Alabama, it’s another miss in a portal cycle where they’ve desperately needed to rebuild their linebacker depth.​

Dottery’s production over the past two seasons at Ole Miss has been nothing short of exceptional. The 6’1″, 225-pound linebacker totaled 174 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles during his time with the Rebels. In 2025 alone, he posted 48 solo tackles to lead Ole Miss in that category as well. He had four games where he recorded nine or more tackles, including a standout performance in the Rebels’ regular-season loss to Georgia. His consistency as a tackling machine made him a cornerstone of Ole Miss’s defense during their historic playoff run this past season.​ But for DeBoer, maybe this miss is better for the health and culture of the overall roster that he is building in Tuscaloosa?

What makes TJ Dottery’s story particularly interesting is the winding path he took to get here. The linebacker originally signed with Clemson in 2022 but transferred to Ole Miss after just one redshirt season. During his time between programs, Dottery changed his last name from Dudley to Dottery, taking his father’s surname, which some are speculating was an effort to get a fresh start after some alleged accusations from fellow Clemson players. 

His departure from Ole Miss this winter came amid reported locker room turmoil after NIL contract details allegedly leaked within the program. It created resentment among players who discovered disparities in the earnings of their teammates. The situation became so messy that multiple Ole Miss players entered the transfer portal in the aftermath.​ This kind of sentiment is risky to take on, and it looks like maybe DeBoer might have stayed on the safe than sorry path here.

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The Alabama connection that never materialized

Dottery always had Tide ties. Growing up in Montgomery, he starred at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory, where he was an all-state selection and helped lead his team’s defense, which allowed just 43 points in 14 games during his senior year. Alabama came calling early, offering him back in 2020 when Charles Kelly was on staff as an assistant coach. The moment clearly meant something to the hometown kid. 

“It was such an amazing feeling for my family and me. This one just feels different. It is something that every kid who grows up in the state of Alabama dreams of,” Dottery said about receiving his Alabama offer. But dreams don’t always pan out the way you expect them to.​ Despite Alabama’s pursuit, Dottery ended up signing with Clemson in 2022, choosing Dabo Swinney’s program over the Tide largely because of the relationship he’d built with the Tigers’ coaching staff. “Coming into my sophomore year, we built a great relationship and continued that throughout my high school years,” Dottery explained about his bond with Swinney. 

When Golding moved to Ole Miss, Dottery was reunited with his former coach. Now he’s reuniting with Lane Kiffin, his former head coach at Ole Miss, who just took over at LSU. For Kalen DeBoer and Alabama, watching a homegrown talent with this kind of production slip away twice has to sting, especially when they’re staring at a linebacker room that desperately needs veteran depth.​ But we never know what DeBoer and his staff were actually planning as Dottery’s off field antics could just have made him a candidate not fit enough to be pursued by the Tide.