Daylan Dotson had a standout FCS career and now he's looking to prove himself at the FBS level.

The All-American defensive end from UT-Martin recently entered the transfer portal and visited UCF last weekend. The Savannah, Ga., native spent four years with the Skyhawks, earning All-Conference honors in 2022 and 2023. He combined for 16.5 sacks the past two seasons.

Dotson said he was appreciative of his time at UT Martin.

"I had a lot of guys from my high school go to big schools, but I didn't have many offers," Dotson said. "I was committed to Alabama A&M and the day before signing day they pulled my offer. Then UTM hit me up on Twitter that night and offered. I committed on the spot.

"I didn't know anything about UTM, but it was a chance to play so I wanted to make the most of the opportunity. I didn't really know the difference between FCS and FBS. I signed on the Wednesday in February and then went the following weekend on an official visit."

As a senior at Savannah's Jenkins High School, Dotson played mostly linebacker, recording 73 tackles and 12 TFLs while forcing seven fumbles and recovering five.

UTM thought he could develop into a defensive end.

"I had a successful career," Dotson said. "It came with a lot of work. We didn't have the same resources. All the big-time schools have nutrition and meals and stuff like that. We didn't. It gave me the habit of working hard. It really made me get better at my game.

"Coming into it, I didn't really know about playing defensive end. I played as a freshman which helped me going into my sophomore and junior years. They let me play my game. At first our defense was sit and hold your blocks, then when I started playing they let us slant and play free."

Dotson, who is 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds, says his ultimate goal during this portal process is to choose a school to improve his NFL prospects.

"This is my last year so I'm transferring up to get my draft grade higher," Dotson said. "Some people go in the portal for money. I'm going strictly to develop. I want to improve my draft grade from like a 6th or 7th round to a Day 1 or 2 guy, top 3-4 rounds.

"At UTM, we played teams like Georgia, Boise State and Tennessee and I played well in those games. I think a full season of playing teams like that will help my draft stock."