Andrei Delinois will have four more years to work on his “y’all.”
A two-way star for McCallie’s football team the past two seasons, Delinois — a boarding student who spoke very little English two years ago, when he arrived in Chattanooga from Canada just before his junior season — is set to remain in the Volunteer State for at least another four years after signing a scholarship with East Tennessee State University on Wednesday morning.
“It has been a dream for some time to play college football,” said Delinois, who's from Quebec. “I was looking for a program that felt like the right fit, and once I visited ETSU, I sort of knew right away that it felt like where I wanted to be.
“After moving here, the first two months were probably the hardest, just because I was still learning to speak English. I listened a lot more than I talked for a while, but I believe coming here definitely prepared me for the next level and I was able to adjust to being away from home.”
Shortly after signing, Delinois spent several minutes on a FaceTime call with his mom, who still lives 1,100 miles away.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / McCallie's Andrei Delinois (3) returns a punt as Pope John Paul II's Chase Edwards pursues him during a TSSAA Division II-AAA semifinal on Nov. 19, 2021.Although the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder played both receiver and linebacker for the Blue Tornado, he is projected to play defense in college, with ETSU listing him as an outside linebacker. He finished with 50 total tackles and returned one of his three interceptions for a touchdown last season, when he helped McCallie reach the TSSAA Division II-AAA semifinals after a junior season in which the program won its third straight state title.
He will also join a pair of former McCallie teammates — quarterback William Riddle and receiver Xavier Gaillardetz — at ETSU, a Football Championship Subdivision program that competes in the Southern Conference and has a strong rivalry with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
“Dre is that hybrid-type athlete that so many colleges look for now,” Blue Tornado coach Ralph Potter said. “He’s big enough and physical enough that he can play linebacker but also fast enough to play in the secondary. He’s got great hands and made quite a few big plays for us at receiver, but he will be a special player for them wherever they line him up on defense.
“Besides his physical talent, the thing that has stood out about him is what a great leader he is in the locker room and on the field. He’s a kid who wants to be coached hard and responds well to being challenged.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.
Updated with more information at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2023.