Oakland’s De’Arre McDonald commits to Ole Miss football

Oakland senior De’Arre McDonald visited Ole Miss more than any other school on his recruiting radar.

McDonald committed to Ole Miss on Tuesday from Dallas, where he is competing in The Opening combine for some of the nation's top prospects.

"After going (to Oxford) a few times, I just realized that everything there was just great," McDonald said. "I got into the whole school. It felt like a family environment. After talking to coaches and going to camp there, it just stood out more than the rest."

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound defensive back is a four-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. He is ranked No. 12 overall in Tennessee and 28th among cornerbacks nationally. 

He said the timing was right to make the decision, particularly given the big stage he is on this week.

"It was smart to make the decision now," McDonald said. "I didn't want to wait until football season and have to worry about all of it. I just want to play football when the season starts and help the team."

McDonald also had offers from fellow SEC schools Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Kentucky and South Carolina as well as Virginia Tech, Louisville, Purdue, Virginia and Western Kentucky.

He did not have an offer from Tennessee.

"I didn't take that in a bad way," McDonald said. "It didn't hurt anything. It is what it is."

McDonald is the second big area prospect to commit to an SEC school within the past week. Smyrna defensive end Dallas Walker committed to Texas A&M on June 25.

"I wasn't really (just) looking at SEC schools. ... I was looking for family-oriented schools," McDonald said. "But being in the SEC makes it that much better. It's the best conference for college football."

The first-team all-area performer had 38 tackles, a team-leading six interceptions and seven pass deflections as a junior in 2018, helping lead Oakland to a 14-1 record and Class 6A state championship. 

McDonald is the fourth Oakland defensive back to commit to a Power 5 school over the past four years. JaCoby Stevens (LSU) and Kaleb Oliver (Georgia Tech) signed in 2017, and Woodi Washington signed with Oklahoma in 2018.

"Oakland has been that good," McDonald said. "I remember JaCoby was a freak of nature, and Woodi was a great player. I appreciated those guys. Playing with them helped me."

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.