Oakland football's De'Arre McDonald re-opens recruitment

Oakland senior defensive back De'Arre McDonald announced Thursday evening he was re-opening his recruitment.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound cornerback committed to Ole Miss on July 2 but after head coach Matt Luke was fired following the Rebels' 4-8 season and Lane Kiffin was hired soon after, he decided not to sign in the early period and wait until February.

"I felt like it was the right decision for me," McDonald said. "(Ole Miss) is still one of my favorite schools. I just thought it would be best if I re-think a lot of things and re-settle myself."

Kiffin was hired on Dec. 7. McDonald hasn't talked to Kiffin since the coaching change and has made little contact with the coaching staff.

"I talked to Coach (Derrick) Nix about a week after that, and that was it," McDonald said.

McDonald is a three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, ranked No. 34 in the nation at his position in the 2020 class and 14th overall in Tennessee.

He led Oakland to a 13-1 record and Class 6A semifinals berth in 2019, recording 31 tackles, two interceptions, eight pass deflections and a blocked punt. He also had 210 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

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

He said he doesn't have any particular favorites of that bunch yet but does plan on taking more recruiting visits between now and February.

"It's really God's plan" said McDonald, who is also a member of the Patriot basketbal lteam. "He obviously put me in the direction to open my recruitment. I'm going to wait and see what happens. Right now I'm just sitting back and let everything play itself out."

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

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