The Mississippi State football team added another piece to its 2016 recruiting class.
Wide receiver Osirus Mitchell, of Sarasota, Florida, committed to the Bulldogs on Wednesday, according to multiple scouting websites. Mitchell couldn’t be reached for comment.
Mitchell was expected to be a non-qualifier, but Bulldawgs247 reported he was cleared academically and MSU swept in to claim him.
“I had to keep my faith,” Mitchell told Bulldawgs247. “Things were getting tough, but it made me work harder in and out of the classroom. Now things are working out, and I should be good to go this season.”
Mitchell also had offers from Maryland, Wake Forest, and Minnesota, but he came away impressed after a visit to Starkville two weeks ago. He met with wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales and liked what he heard.
The Booker High School star told Bulldawgs247 he watched film with Gonzales and noticed former Bulldog wideout De’Runnya Wilson and current wide receiver Fred Ross. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Mitchell hopes to be as dynamic as them.
“I can stretch out the field on third-down conversions,” he told Bulldawgs247. “Throw the ball and I can go get it. I can run routes and outjump corners. I feel like I’m a great mismatch.”
Mitchell had more than 900 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He is the 19th player in the 2016 class, which was completed in February. With five early enrollees, the rest of the class is expected to be on campus today for the first day of summer school.
Mitchell told Bulldawgs247 he will graduate form high school this weekend and will go through the NCAA Clearinghouse. He doesn’t expect that to be an issue, and hopes to enroll for the second summer term July 5.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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