Ole Miss commit Markel Winters glad to be a Rebel
OXFORD - Markel Winters didn’t need long to consider his Ole Miss offer.
The Jones County Junior College freshman committed to the Rebels just a few hours after they offered.
“They were consistent on keeping up with me and just checking me and getting to know me,” Winters said. “I felt like it was a good fit for me here. I just felt like it was one of the best schools for D-linemen. That’s what I feel like I can benefit from.”
Winters has two years’ worth of eligibility and plans to enroll at Ole Miss next January. Coach Hugh Freeze said the team planned to pursue early enrollees in the 2017 recruiting class. The Rebels signed just two defensive linemen in their 2016 class.
Winters joins four-star wide receiver D.D. Bowie (Morton) as the only commits in Ole Miss’ 2017 recruiting class, which 247Sports ranks No 10 in the Southeastern Conference and No. 37 nationally.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Winters isn’t rated by 247Sports’ Composite Rating but was the No. 93 weak-side defensive end.
He signed with East Carolina after recording 74 tackles, 22 for a loss, and nine sacks during his senior season at Rickards in Tallahassee, Florida. The two-star recruit received offers from Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois and UCF among others.
Winters redshirted his first year at ECU but was suspended in October 2014 after being cited for firing a BB gun toward the ground within the city limits of Greenville, North Carolina, a misdemeanor. A violation of team rules led to his dismissal from the program in April 2015.
Winters collected 33 tackles, five sacks and two fumble recoveries last season. He describes his pass rushing, hands and reaction time as strengths but wants to improve his 40-yard dash time to the 4.5-second range from his current time in the 4.7-second range.
He fell in love with Ole Miss after attending the Rebels’ win against LSU on Nov. 21.
“The crowd atmosphere was live,” Winters said. “It was crazy. The campus was really nice but what really got me was the fieldhouse and the locker room and the indoor facility, all the facilities they have for football players. It’s top-notch.”
Playing for Ole Miss will accomplish a dream Winters has held for a long time.
“I’m very excited,” Winters said. “I always knew I had the ability to play in the SEC or the ACC, anywhere in the Power 5. When I was at ECU, I just knew I should be at a Power 5 school. That’s where I feel like I belong. I’m glad to be a Rebel.”
Contact Daniel Paulling at dpaulling@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @DanielPaulling on Twitter.