Memphis OL visits Ole Miss
Ole Miss has already offered Memphis (Evangelical Christian School) tight end Harrison Jones and Jones' teammate was in Oxford over the weekend checking out the Rebels as well.
Austin Marshall, a 6-foot-3, 285 pound center prospect, had a positive experience and renewed a relationship with a coach on Saturday.
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"My visit went well," Marshall said on Tuesday evening. "I already knew a lot about Ole Miss. I grew up in Memphis and a friend took us to the Grove for a lot of games. It's just an awesome atmosphere. Plus, my mom loves it because it so close by."
Marshall would like nothing better than for the Rebels to come forward with a scholarship offer, but he realizes that's probably not going to come until later in the year.
"The program is way up on my list," he said. "I grew up respecting the program back when Eli Manning was the quarterback. And, I certainly took note of what they accomplished last year. I just really like Ole Miss."
And, while Marshall is very interested in Ole Miss, his larger goal is to play college football and that means attracting the attention of college coaches and gaining some offers. That's exactly what Marshall and his father attempted to do recently during his school's spring break.
"We just headed out and went to Southern Miss, Tulane, LSU, Rice, Houston, Texas A&M, and Baylor," Marshall said. "The visit to LSU really stood out and I really enjoyed it down there."
Marshall said his visit to Texas A&M could reap some benefits down the road.
"They told me that they've offered about 10 offensive linemen and they want to sign five," he said. "If they don't get the five (commitments) from the ten they've offered, then they said it would be up for grabs with some other linemen and that I'd be one they will be looking at."
In addition to the look by Texas A&M, Marshall gave his trip to Oklahoma State solid reviews and expects the Cowboys to visit his high school later this spring for an evaluation.
While Marshall said he hears from Ole Miss, he did note that he really hasn't gotten the attention as Jones and some other prospects that Ole Miss is recruiting.
He hopes to improve that situation with a good camp showing this summer and a solid senior season.
Marshall also may have another reason for Ole Miss to become more interested.
He camped at Auburn last summer and had a solid camp, gaining attention from Tiger assistant Terry Price, who left Auburn for Ole Miss after last season.
"I didn't know coach Price was at Ole Miss until the second half of the game on Saturday," Marshall said. "I talked to him after the game and he told me to come on back down for camp, that they want to take a look at me."
Marshall carries a 3.9 GPA and is looking forward to his summer camp schedule which his plans currently include Boston College, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.