By LARRY VAUGHT

Austin Collinsworth says his father, Cris, a former National Football League standout, is doing his best not to influence his college decision. However, his mother, Holly, a former University of Kentucky cheerleader, has a little more to say about where she wants her son to play.

The Highlands senior has scholarship offers from Kentucky, Cincinnati, Louisville, Stanford and  Vanderbilt. The 6-0, 180-pound Collinsworth, who runs a 4.6 40-yard dash, started at cornerback last year and is moving to safety this season. He’s also going to play running back, a spot he would like to play in college.

“Some schools see me as a receiver, some as a defensive back,” Collinsworth said. “Ideally I would like to play running back at the next level and I have a chance to prove this year that I can do that. I just love to be on the field as much as possible, so playing running back will be fun.”

He thinks he has the explosion and skills necessary to be a big-time running back and hopes others will soon feel that way, too, especially since he thinks Highlands will have a “phenomenal” team again that will garner a lot of attention.

Kentucky certainly could benefit from having an in-state star like Collinsworth commit, especially after the loss of Indianapolis star safety Isaiah Lewis to Michigan State Thursday.

He has “definite” interest in Kentucky because of its Southeastern Conference affiliation.

“Playing in the SEC is always something players think about. I like to compete at the highest level and the SEC is there right now,” Collinsworth said. “It’s a good distance from home, too. So that is very appealling to me.

“A lot of my friends are UK fans. And my mom is definitely still a UK girl. More than anything, she wants me to go closer to home to play, but she still has that UK blood. I know she wouldn’t mind at all if that is where I went. Dad is trying to keep his hands off of it and let me make my decision. He doesn’t want to force me to go somewhere I might end up not liking. But mom makes her feelings known quite a bit more.”

He’s already visited Stanford and Vanderbilt, two schools he liked.

“Stanford has a phenomenal campus and offers a great education. It is a small school, which could be a positive or ngeative. I really enjoyed my visit to Vandy. It has the best of both worlds with SEC football and great education,” Collinsworth said.

“Actually, all the schools recruiting me are great schools. I’ve not made a decision yet, but I am going to try and do so in the next few months. I’ve been down to UK and obviously have been to UC.”

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