4-star DL Julian Marks narrows his list to eight schools

Over 40 schools have offered four-star defensive lineman Juju Marks. The 6-foot-7, 255-pounder out of Overland Park (Kan.) St. Thomas Aquinas has seen enough and he has eliminated all but eight schools from his list.

Alabama, Kansas, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, USC and Wisconsin made the cut.

“I have been in the most contact with these schools and each is a very intriguing school for me,” Marks told On3. “The culture, the background the coaches and everything about those schools has my attention.”

Marks recently visited Alabama and Tennessee for the first time. He has visited Kansas around five times and Missouri over a dozen times.

He has already locked in official visits to Missouri on May 31 and Kansas on June 7. Marks is in the process of scheduling an official visit to Wisconsin. He is unsure of how many official visits he will take or who will get them, but Alabama and Oregon are strong candidates.

“I am going to play things by ear now. I could cut my list down again, but I am unsure of that. My decision should come late in June or early in July. It comes down to where I can see myself playing at and becoming a better man at.”

In the On3 Industry Ranking, Marks is the No. 377 prospect.

Marks shares his thoughts on his top schools

Alabama: “Washington offered me early, so the new staff at Alabama knew about me and Alabama is a dynasty. They have a great culture there too.”

Kansas: “They have been rebuilding and Coach Liephold has done a great job. Then they are in my backyard, only 20 minutes away and I could build a legacy there.”

Missouri: “It is close to home and I feel the most comfortable with them because I have been there the most. They always welcome me, they make me feel like family and I like how the coaches have been with me throughout the recruiting process.”

Ole Miss: “Ole Miss came out to watch me practice last year and that stood out to me. It is an SEC school too that is not too far from home.”

Oregon: “Coach Lanning came to visit me and my dad at my school in January and we had a really good talk with him. He is a really good guy and a really good coach that has the Oregon program doing well.”

Tennessee: “I love the campus and facilities at Tennessee. They showed great hospitality when I was there for my visit.”

USC: “It is a big city it would be cool to go there and adapt to that. They have the most Heisman winners and a lot of history, so it is hard to beat that.”

Wisconsin: “Wisconsin has been doing a great job of contacting me and my family. I like what they are saying about how they run things and how they are recruiting me.”