Dotson ready to narrow things down

Four-star tight end Matt Dotson has experienced nearly the full gauntlet of the recruiting cycle before his junior season has even concluded. The Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller native has picked up offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and over a dozen other schools in Power Five conferences. Still, he says he has been able to manage things well.

“I wouldn’t say it’s been hectic; the recruiting process has been really structural. I’ve been talking on a daily basis to the coaches,” Dotson explained. “I make sure to call them if they ask to call and whatnot. They understand that I can’t sometimes with workouts and everything, but I’d say it’s going pretty well, I enjoy every bit of it.”

Dotson has been trying to narrow his focus as of late with trips in mind to a handful of different universities. He hopes to visit Michigan State on April 15th, Michigan on April 16th, and Penn State on May 21st and is just recently coming off of a trip to Florida State. Dotson plan to narrow down his list to a top five after these upcoming visits, and while he hasn’t decided on that group yet, there are five schools he’s remained in contact with most frequently.

“Tennessee, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Ohio State right now are the main five that I’m talking to most of the time,” said Dotson.

Dotson’s contact with Ohio State has been very positive as of late and he’s built strong relationships with Cincinnati area recruiter Kerry Coombs, Ohio State’s DB coach, and offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Ed Warinner.

“Every day. Every day I’m talking to coach Warinner and pretty much every other day I’m getting handwritten mail from coach Coombs telling me to be a Buckeye and things like that,” Dotson said. “It’s been pretty good there.”

Two of the other programs among his “frequent five” have been keeping on top of Dotson lately as well, with Michigan assistant coach Jay Harbaugh and Penn State commit Sean Clifford working the phone to keep in touch with Dotson.

“Jay Harbaugh is talking to me almost every day, he can’t wait for me to get up [to Michigan] and really see what they’re all about and what they’ve got to offer,” Dotson said. “My guy Cliff (Penn State QB commit Sean Clifford of St. Xavier) has been bugging me all the time saying I’ve got to get up there,” Dotson joked. “So I finally said alright, alright, I’ll finally go up there and see what it’s all about and everything. I’m excited because from what he’s been talking about, it seems great.”

While Ohio State and Tennessee are notably absent from his list of visitors, Dotson says that should not in any way be a mark of concern for fans of the Buckeyes and Volunteers. Dotson maintains great relationships with coaches at both schools and has great familiarity there. He simply wants to branch out and see a wider world.

“Me and Coach Hinton, we had a great relationship and everything like that, but I’ve met coach Warinner once so far and he seems like a really good guy. I’ve been to Ohio State so much, I know it inside and out. I know Tennessee inside and out. So I’m taking these next couple months to see other schools, because I know what those two are about,” Dotson said. “I don’t want people to take it as ‘Oh, he doesn’t like Ohio State and Tennessee anymore.’ I’ve just already seen them and I know about them, I want to take other visits to other schools. I definitely still have love for both of those schools.”

More than just taking visits to programs, Dotson has made sure to utilize his connections throughout Moeller’s vast alumni base and from other players in Cincinnati’s Greater Catholic League to better understand what different programs have to offer – and where they’re lacking.

“I wouldn’t see anyone is pulling me to any one school, but having Moeller guys all over means they can tell me the truth about different schools,” Dotson said. “They tell me what’s good about a school and what’s not good about a school, so I really appreciate that. Me and Jake Hausmann are really good friends, we don’t really talk too much about school since we each have to do our own thing, but we could definitely end up playing together.”

In the meantime, Dotson is simply being careful and weighing his options as things move forward. He takes into account what he hears from players and close friends, what he sees on campus, and much more about what each school’s tight end position group can look like.

“I look at how schools use their tight ends and the coach-player relationships. That’s a big deal. You’re going to be there for three to five years, so it’s a big deal to have good relationships,” Dotson said.

Dotson is rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and checked in physically at 6-foot-5 and 226 pounds. He was one of the best competitors at the Columbus Rivals Camp Series event presented by Under Armour.