SoCal two-way standout lands first two offers

Things are heating up for tight end/defensive lineman Marcus Howard (6-2, 260, 4.8) from Inglewood, Calif., as he has received a lot attention this spring. There has been a plethora of college coaches by this spring and the talented two-way player has received his first two offers and he could be honing in on two more scholie offers.

"So far, Nevada, San Jose State, Fresno State, Oregon, Cal, UNLV, New Mexico State, Washington, Washington State, Idaho have been by the school to check Marcus out," Inglewood recruiting coordinator Khalid Ali said. "San Jose State and New Mexico State have already offered."

The two WAC schools are ahead of the recruiting curve on Howard, but the word on the street is, Arizona State and Oregon are very close to offering Howard a full ride. Ali has the beat why Howard is becoming such a hot commodity.

"The thing about Marcus is that he is an extremely athletic kid," Ali said. "He's 6-foot-2 and a half and weighs about 260. He plays defensive tackle and tight end for us.

"His balance and elusiveness are superior for a kid at any size," Ali said. "To give you an idea of his quickness, last season he returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

"That same quickness makes it difficult for linemen to block Marcus," Ali said. "He's also the strongest player on our team."

"The most impressive thing about Marcus is his willingness to assert himself as a team leader," Ali said. "Most kids wait until their senior season to become leaders but Marcus took the initiative as a junior."

"Some schools are looking at Marcus as a defensive lineman, other schools like him as a tight end," Ali said. "Cal likes him as a tight end or an H back, so that is a reflection of his versatility and athleticism."

Howard earned first-team all-league for his junior season performance.