Gamecock running backs coach Everette Sands said Thursday that Miles is continuing to participate in South Carolina's ongoing spring drills, but that the rising fifth-year senior has yet to confirm to his coaches that he will play for the team in 2012. Miles was -- and apparently still is -- considering a transfer over another year backing up.
“But he's doing everything we ask him to do,” Sands said. “He is truly one of our leaders.”
Miles ran for 204 yards with a touchdown in nine appearances last season, ranking fourth on the team.
Keeping Miles in the fold would, however, still give the Gamecocks potentially their best available insurance policy should Lattimore -- still recovering from his 2011 ACL tear -- miss more time with injury in 2012. Though injuries and a crowded depth chart have limited Miles in recent seasons, that 2009 freshman season (when his 626 yards and 5.35 yards per-carry average both led the team) still speaks to Miles's promise if he can stay healthy and focused ... which he now reportedly is.
Even so, that promise also speaks to why a transfer might be in the best interest of both parties. Miles has already graduated and would presumably be eligible immediately for whatever team might be in need of a running back; the Gamecocks, meanwhile, might want the extra carries anyway for sophomore Brandon Wilds or highly-regarded true freshman Mike Davis.
There's also the issue brought up by Everette: even if Miles is doing and saying all the right things right now, it can't be a good thing for team to have as "one of [its] leaders" a player who might not even be on the roster come summer workouts. Can it?
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