Austin Dotson UK Football Preseason Practice 2020 Photo by Jacob Noger - UK Football
Junior offensive lineman Austin Dotson has certainly caught the eye of offensive coordinator Eddie Gran this preseason.
“Austin Dotson has had his best camp since he has been here,” Gran said. “His pass protecting is a lot better. He is one guy who has worked his way to a guy who will play and play a lot. His technique has really changed and I love where he is at.”
I still remember when the Belfry standout committed to UK and then signed with the Wildcats. Former UK quarterback Freddie Maggard, an eastern Kentucky native himself, described Dotson then as a “mauler who will get dirty inside and push people around.”
I also still remember the first time I talked to Dotson and how thrilled he was to have a UK scholarship offer. Now having a chance to play a significant role — he redshirted in 2017 and has played in 16 games the last two seasons — this year has him excited.
“Obviously it means a lot to me,” Dotson said. “Growing up in eastern Kentucky, my dream since I was a little boy was to play for UK. My dream came true and I am finally getting my shot and am not looking back from here.”
Why did it take four years for that to happen? Dotson has an easy explanation.
“I had a lot of really good players in front of me when I first got here,” Dotson said before rattling off names like Logan Stenberg, Luke Fortner, Bunchy Stallings and others. “It just took a while to find my rhythm. It was a whole new style of offense for me. When I finally figured it out I ran with it and I am going to continue to do that.”
