Elijah Dotson was born and bred in Sacramento, California where he was a star running back for Antelope High School. He capped off his prep career with First-Team All-Metro and First-Team All-Metro honors after rushing for a school record 2,223 yards and 25 touchdowns while also catching 17 passes for 425 yards and seven more scores.
Despite being uber-productive, Dotson did not receive much attention from Division II schools. He ultimately chose to stay in his hometown and attend FCS Sacramento State University. Dotson saw plenty of playing time as a true freshman in 2017 where he racked up 475 rushing yards, five rushing scores, 139 receiving yards, and two more scores through the air.