Riverdale's Dre Otey commits to Mississippi State football, reclassifies to 2026

Riverdale senior defensive back Dre Otey decided where he wanted to play college football, and he's not waiting an extra year to get started.

Otey committed to Mississippi State on March 23, changing back to the class of 2026 after having reclassified to 2027 earlier in his career. He will begin classes in the fall.

"I was talking to coaches and they were like, why waste a year in prep school when you can go ahead and go there and learn the system and build your body up and learn the plays?" said Otey on reclassifying.

Otey, the brother of former Blackman and Southern Cal standout Adonis Otey and former Riverdale and Purdue standout Zytreacs Otey, chose Mississippi State over his other top five choices of Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Purdue and West Virginia.

He made the decision after his second visit to Starkville on March 21-22. He had previously had an in-game visit to Mississippi State when the Bulldogs played Arizona State on Sept. 6.

"When I went on my visit, I was talking to coaches, they just welcomed me and it felt like home," Otey said. "I have a good relationship with (cornerbacks coach Corey Bell), talking to me, and (coach Jeff Lebby) was convincing me too. It felt like home … where I want to be."

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The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Otey does not have a 247Sports ranking, but had offers from several power conference programs, including Auburn, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina and Washington State.

"I expect to be coached hard, to fit in and get developed and earn some playing time," Otey said. I'm ready to know the plays and fit into the system and see how well I fit in."

Otey had 34 tackles and five pass break-ups during his senior season, helping Riverdale finish 8-4, reaching the second round of the TSSAA Class 6A state playoffs before falling to Maryville.

Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at cjoyce@dnj.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Mississippi State football lands Dre Otey, a Tennessee high school DB