Tide, Bruins enter mix for Arkansas TE

Little Rock (Ark.) Parkview tight end Marc Winston is starting to develop a nice list of scholarship offers heading into his senior season.

“I have offers from Arkansas, Arkansas State, Alabama, Iowa, Virginia Tech and Nebraska,” he said. “And I’m hearing a lot from all of the other SEC West teams except Auburn. In the SEC East, Tennessee is showing me some interest lately. I’ve also been getting stuff from UCLA, Stanford, Iowa and Colorado.”

Is there a favorite in the mix?

“Not any one team,” he said. “I like all of those who have offered, plus Tennessee, LSU, UCLA and Stanford. I haven’t started narrowing them down just yet. I need to try and decide where I want to go visit.

“One of the cool things is I’ve got a lot of options, geographically. I like the fact that I’m being recruited by teams in the SEC and Big 12 and Pac-10. Some of them ask me if that’s going to be a problem, leaving home and stuff, but I tell them it’s OK with me if the school seems like the right place.”

Arkansas still has to be considered a strong bet. His father, Billy, and two uncles played for the Razorbacks. The Hogs are also seeking a top tight end in this year’s class, and Winston could fit the bill. As a junior, he caught 30 passes for 760 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 61 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 10 forced fumbles and four sacks as a defensive end, a position some of the schools on his list are recruiting him to play.

“But tight end is my favorite,” he said. “I like having the ball in my hands and a chance to make something happen.”

Arkansas has told Winston he could be an impact player in its offense.

“Coach (Chris) Vaughn had me in camp telling me all the things they could do with me in their offense,” he said. “He said they could use me like a Jeremy Shockey, as a primary receiver, that they could move me all over, from end to slot and even out wide sometimes. I liked that.”

Academically, Winston maintains a 3.6 GPA and has scored a 22 on the ACT.