Former Clemson Tiger calls LaNorris Sellers 'outstanding,' says South Carolina fans gave him 'chills'
On Monday, GamecockCentral’s Jack Veltri was present at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. (You can read about everything head coach Shane Beamer said here.) While at the 2025 SEC Kickoff, he had the opportunity to speak with Ole Miss Rebels linebacker TJ Dottery. Dottery, who began his career with the rival Clemson Tigers (he went by the name TJ Dudley back then), spoke glowingly about South Carolina football fans and the team’s star quarterback, LaNorris Sellers.
While the 2024 contest against the Rebels didn’t go the Gamecocks’ way, Dottery was impressed by the atmosphere at Williams-Brice Stadium. He said the South Carolina fanbase was so rowdy during their pregame tailgates that the Ole Miss bus shook on the way to park. “I remember pulling up to the stadium, and the fans were outside and had the bus shaking. I got the chills; my body shook.” That environment carried over to the early parts of the game until Lane Kiffin’s team surged ahead.
Dottery had a breakout redshirt sophomore campaign, making him one of the SEC’s most improved linebackers. He started 12 games for Ole Miss as one of the leaders of an elite run defense. The 2025 preseason All-SEC pick posted his career high in tackles (13) against the Gamecocks. Because he spent just one year at Clemson in 2022, he had not played in Columbia until last season.
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Having played in the middle of a good SEC defense in 2024, Dottery has seen a lot of talented offensive players. Even so, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers impressed him.
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Said Dottery, “The talent [Sellers] has–arm talent and leg-wise–is outstanding…Him being able to use both was huge. I think that he’s always going to be a great opponent because he’s a great talent.” He continued, “I think he is a threat both in the air and on his feet. I mean, the guy’s really fast, as well.”
As complimentary of Sellers as Dottery was, Ole Miss didn’t see the talented signal-caller at 100% last season. Not only was the Ole Miss game before everything “clicked” for Sellers down the stretch, but the South Carolina quarterback was still dealing with a high ankle sprain and was noticeably less mobile than normal when the Rebels came to Columbia.
When asked about how Ole Miss hopes to contain an even better version of LaNorris Sellers when USC makes the return trip to Oxford, Dottery said that he and his defensive teammates will have to capitalize on opportunities because they might be few and far between. “If we get him in the pocket, [we’ve got to] be able to tackle him, get him down for sacks. We’ve got to try to make him turn the ball over, as well.”
South Carolina and Ole Miss will meet in Oxford on November 1st.
