Three weeks before his scheduled official visit to the Starkville campus, Kolby Barrett decided he couldn’t wait that long before committing to Mississippi State University’s football program.
The Baylor School safety, a three-star recruit with his final prep season still ahead, announced his commitment Saturday to the Bulldogs, choosing the Southeastern Conference program over multiple other power conference teams, including Georgia Tech, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. He also had offers from Air Force, Appalachian State, Arkansas State and Cornell.
“Coach (Matt) Barnes has come to see me at practice and also been to the school a couple of times, so they have really shown me a lot of love and that they want me,” Barrett said of the MSU co-defensive coordinator’s visit. “When I called to tell their coaches, they were all pretty excited. I just knew this is where I wanted to go, so why wait? It’s a great opportunity for me, and now I can just focus on my senior year of football.
“I feel like I fit in pretty well with what they do on defense, their style of play, and I like their plan for how to use me moving forward. They want me to play in the middle of the field and track the ball. I can see myself fitting in well there, and I believe I can develop and play early.”
The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder transferred to Baylor from perennial public school powerhouse Alcoa prior to last season and made the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s all-state team after totaling 61 tackles, four interceptions and 10 pass breakups for the Red Raiders, who reached the TSSAA Division II-AAA BlueCross Bowl state championship game.
“The first thing that stands out about Kolby is his character and drive to be a pro in what he does,” Red Raiders coach Erik Kimrey said. “He came to Baylor to be with kids who are going through the same type process, guys who are at that power four and SEC level. There’s a model for consistency and preparation that you see first-hand with guys like that, and he’s not only seen it, he’s excelled in it.
“He very versatile. Athletic enough to be a safety and cover the slot, but also really physical and elite in closing on the ball, and he has the size and frame to become a linebacker. Watching him this spring, there’s a dramatic improvement in his movement since he decided to run track. I’m not sure people realize how much he’s improved since last season, so I could see more opportunities coming for him.”
Barrett is rated as the No. 36 senior in Tennessee, according to the On3 industry ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies — and is the No. 107 safety nationally.
“This has been a dream since I was little, getting a chance to play at the SEC level,” Barrett said. “Sophomore year changed everything for me. I was at Alcoa, playing both sides of the ball and just killing it, and I knew if I came to Baylor and had a good junior season, I could make it happen. So I went all-in.
“I came to Baylor to play in the best division possible before college. I knew I could play at that (college) level because we go up against SEC-level prospects every week.
“I ran track this year because even though I’ve got good game speed, I wanted to improve my top-end speed, and I’ve seen improvement there. This season I’ll get to play some offense, too, so I’m excited to have the chance to show what I can do with the ball in my hands more.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.