Trey Winters is hard to miss on the football field.

At 6-foot-7, 360 pounds — depending on what he ate for breakfast — Winters stands above the crowd even among the beefed-up Cowboys.

However, when you talk to him he is more of a gentle giant, as he always seems to be in a good mood and sporting a smile.

“I like to have fun,” Winters said.

Now in his third season at McNeese State, Winters is still waiting to make an impact on the field.

The transfer from Iowa missed games two years ago because of paperwork issues with his school change. Last fall injuries kept him off the field.

Still a sophomore, Winters says he’s ready to get back on the gridiron.

“I’m ready to go,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to this season. I just want to be out there playing with my friends.”

Winters even made a position change, moving from offensive tackle to the middle of the defensive line.

“He can be a force there,” said McNeese head coach Gary Goff. “There aren’t that many guys on the football field as big as him or as strong as him.”

Winters’ flipping of lines began last spring when the coaches approached him and asked if he would be interested in giving it a shot. With little time to perfect any technique, Winters made an impact during both practices and scrimmages.

“He showed what he was capable of doing,” Goff said. “He has a huge learning curve still, but all we are asking him to do is shoot the gaps. He has been able to do that and will get better.”

For Winters, the move was new life to his college career, and he is going to run with it.

“I was all for it,” Winters said. “I played on the defensive line in high school. I was moved to the offensive line full-time at Iowa.

“Playing defense is fun. I like to be able to make a play and have an impact.”

And he likes being back on the field.

“I just want to do everything I can to help the team,” Winters said.

It is Winters’ attitude that makes Goff believe the change can work.

“He is one of the most selfless players on the team,” Goff said. “He was all for giving the change a shot. He just wants to help us win.”

During the spring game, Winters was able to make a couple of impressive plays.

He put pressure on the quarterback a couple of times and even tracked down a running back.

It was a small sample size as he was still getting back his stamina but it was a start.

Winters even believes the two positions are basically the same.

“I just have to find the gap and make a hole for our linebackers to get through,” said Winters. “On offense, I just tried to make a hole for the running backs.

“Now, if I do my job, our linebackers are free to go in there and make plays. Either way, I’m just trying to make a hole.”

What Winters says he wants to show is that while his size may get him noticed, it is his skills on the field that could open doors, not holes, to a professional career.

But for now, Winters says he’s happy to be back on the field and hitting somebody.