In a bit of surprising news, Kentucky announced today that redshirt junior Taj Dodson would be retiring from football. Per Nick Roush of KSR, UK spokesperson confirmed that the defensive back is retiring from football due to a collection of injuries during his career as a Wildcat. Dodson has already graduated from Kentucky and participated in the Senior Day ceremony back in November.
He was not projected to start for Brad White’s defense this fall, with players like Jordan Lovett, Alex Afari, Zion Childress and Kobi Albert on the roster. However, Dodson would have provided a quality player for depth purposes. His departure gives Mark Stoops an extra scholarship to work with. This will likely be used to add a transfer during the May transfer portal season.
Dodson was a high 3-star recruit out of Creekside High School in Fairborn, Georgia. He was a highly regarded safety prospect, who never lived up to his potential, mainly due to injuries. Taj also made a big debut against Florida in 2019, recovering a fumble that gave Kentucky an early lead. He ultimately appeared in only 19 games over four years at Kentucky, totaling nine tackles and just one pass deflection.
As he is on his way out, it's nice to see his pinned tweet as an unofficial salute to his playing days.