Myles packs a punch in Spring Scrimmage

Atlanta (Ga.) Carver safety Darren Myles' stock has been on a steady rise all Spring. He was the defensive back MVP at the Tuscaloosa Nike Football Training Camp and since then, he has been a popular stop among college coaches during his team's Spring Practice.

Last Friday, Spring Practice for Carver High School came to a close with Carver's Spring Scrimmage. The afternoon was a busy one for Myles. He lined up at quarterback and threw a touchdown pass, caught three passes on offense and had an interception on defense. He also did a little hitting.

Asked if there were any injuries on the afternoon, Myles responded that everyone came out healthy. He then reconsidered.

"Actually somebody did get hurt," Myles said. "One player broke his jaw and cracked his helmet open on a hit. I was the one that hit him."

At a slender 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Myles showed that he can hit from his safety position by taking on a lead-blocking fullback and literally cracking his helmet.

Myles noticed about five coaches at his Spring Game including coaches from UCF and West Virginia. However, over the course of Spring Practice, over 60 coaches have come through the halls at Atlanta Carver.

Offers have been piling in as well, including the newest offer that arrived on Monday.

"Oregon is the most recent. I think the letter came in today," Myles said on Monday evening. "I know that offense with Dennis Dixon. They run the spread. I'm interested in them. I'm interested in all the schools that have offered."

One of those schools that have offered Myles recently is LSU, a program that he has some family connections to as a New Orleans native.

"I'm from New Orleans," he said. "I moved up here in 2002 right around fifth grade. My family is from New Orleans and we came up here after the Hurricane. Ever since LSU offered that's all I've been hearing is 'got to LSU, go to LSU'."

Though his family clearly has a favorite program, Myles is not ready to name any leaders for his services. However, he won't deny that as an LSU fan growing up, the offer was exciting.

"I was surprised because when I was younger that was one of my favorite schools but I forgot about them and stopped worrying about them because I hadn't heard from them. It was out of the blue. They just called me one day after practice and then I got a note that they were offering. It came in the mail early last week."

The Tigers will be getting plenty of competition for Myles' signature. The rangy safety estimates that he receives about two calls a day from college coaches. Though it can be hectic, Myles is enjoying the whole process.

"When I first started it was a little crazy," he said. "Now I just enjoy the process and look at it as fun. A lot of people really want to have me."

This summer, Myles is considering heading to Purdue, Michigan, Notre Dame and possibly some other campuses for visits, though he doesn't anticipate attending any camps. He also doesn't have any plans to commit anytime soon.

Currently, Myles hopes to have his commitment announcement ready to make in the post-season all-star game setting and he hopes to narrow down his list of schools by the end of the summer.