Dotson got 'Dear John' from Pearl

The message he received was clear.

"He told me to hold off on coming," Dotson said after being released from his national letter of intent to UT on Monday.

"He said to wait it out until we could decide what was best for me and best for the University of Tennessee."

The call came on May 29, the day before Dotson planned to leave for Knoxville to begin the first summer school session.

"He told me I was coming in behind Ryan Childress (another UT signee) and that we played the same position," Dotson said. "He kept telling me he didn’t want to put me in a position where I couldn’t succeed."

The 6-foot-8 forward from Hickman County didn’t need to be clubbed over the head to get the message.

"I’ve had my heart set on UT ever since I signed," he said. "They never used the word release, or said anything about pulling my scholarship, but I came to the decision if I wasn’t there to play, then I didn’t want to be there.

"I just wish the team and the coaches the best. I hope it will work out for all of us."

Pearl had the same message for Dotson.

"We have visited with the Dotson family over the past few weeks and have come to the mutual decision that Matthew’s interests may be best served at another school," he said in a statement. "My job as coach is to put my student-athletes in the best position to be successful. I wish him the best of luck in the future."

Right now, Dotson doesn’t know where that future might take place.

Belmont and Tennessee Tech were among the schools recruiting him prior to his signing with UT in November.

"I really haven’t done a lot of looking into it since I was just released (Monday)," he said. "It (Belmont) is an option. If I walked on and redshirted a year, I would still have four scholarship years available."

The move obviously opens up another scholarship for the Vols.

Dameon Mason, a sophomore in the process of transferring from Marquette, is a possibility. He was on campus this weekend for a visit.

As for Dotson, he just wishes things could have been handled a little differently on the UT end.

"The part we don’t understand is why he didn’t let me know when he took the job or when he signed Childress," Dotson said. "That’s what confused us. We were shocked.

"But if I wasn’t going to fit into their plans, it’s just best to move on."

Dotson did say he talked to Pearl briefly on Monday during the first day of Pearl’s camp at UT.

"He apologized for the way things happened and wished me the best," Dotson said.