3-star Mississippi tackle DJ Dotson commits to Georgia football

NFL legacy DJ Dotson has moved quickly to secure his spot in Georgia’s 2027 recruiting class. The 3-star OT from Oak Grove High School in Mississippi announced his commitment to the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon.

The decision comes right after the 6-foot-7, 340-pound rising senior took his official visit to check out the Bulldogs.

It was his first official visit, but he committed to Georgia head coach Kirby Smart on Saturday.

“I always had a feeling where I was going to go, but I just wanted to wait for my OV,” Dotson said from the Atlanta airport Sunday afternoon. “The vibes that I was getting from them, I was ready to commit. I just told them I was committing.”

“It actually hit me that Friday. I was taking the pictures and I was like, ‘Yeah, this was the team I wanted to play for’ during the photos.”

Smart gave him a “big hug” during that moment.

“Just a rush of excitement,” he said. “To finally be done with it. Knowing you are home. Just being accepted there with open arms.”

Dotson said this decision shuts down his recruitment. He’s not planning on visiting any other schools, he said. The Bulldogs were his first major Power 4 offer.

He ranks as the nation’s No. 75 OT and the No. 849 overall prospect for 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. The Rivals Industry Ranking has him as the No. 72 OT and No. 932 overall.

What’s the No. 1 reason why he committed to Georgia?

“Just the amount of the linemen they produce,” he said. “It just tells you that they know what they’re doing with the offensive linemen. The tackles that they put in the NFL Draft just tell you that they know what they are going to do with you. They are going to produce you.”

Dotson is the son of former NFL lineman Demar Dotson, who played 11-plus years in the NFL, the bulk of that with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Demar Dotson found a way to play on Sundays despite only playing one season of college football. He was on the team but never appeared in a college game.

How does that happen? Well, he was a 6-foot-8-plus basketball player at Southern Miss.

“My dad jumped right into the NFL,” DJ Dotson said. “He didn’t play any high school ball. No college ball. His first time actually playing for real was in the NFL.

“He played basketball all the way until his final year of college,” Dotson said. “Then played some football. They saw such a big frame. Even though he just played scout team D-line in college. But they saw that big frame, you know? That helped him. Somebody helped him out. Trained him up a little bit. He got a call from the Bucs. Tryouts. Practice squad. Then he made the 53-man roster.

“To this day, it’s an incredible story.”

Dotson said his father played on some field goal teams in college. That’s it.

“But for the real action,” Dotson said. “That was in the NFL.”

DJ Dotson becomes the 10th member of Georgia’s 2027 class. He was the second commitment for the program Sunday afternoon from the 16 official visitors over the weekend. Mount Vernon 3-star WR Taurean Rawlins also committed to the program right after his official visit.

Those back-to-back decisions move the Bulldogs up to the nation’s No. 26 class for this cycle on the 247Sports overall team rankings.

Freshman OL Zykie Helton hosted Dotson on his official visit.

“He did a pretty good job,” Dotson said. “Good guy. I’ve got a good relationship with him. He just said it was the place to be, but you’ve got to be ready to come and put your head down and work. It is not going to be easy.”

Check out the junior tape for Dotson below.

Georgia plans to just use him as a tackle moving forward.

“They are getting a person who is going to work hard,” he said. “Not going to give up on the team. He will admit his flaws and take accountability, but also be really competitive at the same time. He also just really wants to win.”