JONESBORO — Michael Dyer said he has no intention of leaving Arkansas State.
On Friday, the former Auburn running back said he is happy at ASU. He said he is looking forward to serving as a mentor for his teammates while sitting out this season after his transfer.
The NCAA denied Dyer’s request two weeks ago to play immediately for the Red Wolves this season. Since then, reports surfaced that the former Little Rock Christian standout was considering transferring to a lower-level school with hopes of playing immediately.
“I don’t really know how that got started out there,” Dyer said. “I’m just going to sit out this year and do what I can with my running backs and my players and teammates that I’ve grown to love since I’ve been here.”
On Thursday, Dyer’s uncle, Andre Dyer said, “He’s staying at Arkansas State unless something drastic happens, like the campus burns down or a tornado blows every building off its foundation.”
Rumors of a second transfer in seven months started late Tuesday night with a story posted on bleacherreport.com citing two unnamed sources within the NCAA Division II Pittsburg (Kan.) State football program.
Dyer transferred to Arkansas State in January after he was suspended indefinitely by Auburn Coach Gene Chizik for violating unspecified team rules before the Chick-fil-A Bowl. He went through spring practice with Arkansas State but hadn’t talked publicly since his transfer before Friday.
Dyer was the offensive MVP of the 2011 national championship game as a freshman. He was the first Tigers tailback to rush for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, including a 1,093-yard performance as a freshman that broke Bo Jackson’s school record of 892 yards set in 1982. Dyer rushed for 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
“There’s not going to be a better scout-team running back in the country,” Arkansas State Coach Gus Malzahn said. “I know he’ll be very hungry when this season’s over.”
Malzahn, who was Dyer’s offensive coordinator at Auburn, helped recruit Dyer to the Tigers before being hired by the Red Wolves after last season. Malzahn, who spent 14 years as a high school coach in Arkansas, said he was eager to bring Dyer with him to Arkansas State.
The Red Wolves won the Sun Belt Conference championship last season, recording the school’s first 10-victory season since 1986. After Coach Hugh Freeze resigned to become the coach at Ole Miss, ASU hired Malzahn, who said declaring for the NFL Draft after this season was the only other option Dyer considering after the NCAA’s ruling.
In the end, Malzahn said Dyer felt like he had more to prove.
“He thinks that this is going to be great for him in the long run,” Malzahn said. “He wasn’t ready for that next level. He’s got some growing up to do. I know he’s ready and he’s really going to be an asset to our team.”
Information for this article was contributed by The Associated Press.
Sports, Pages 22 on 07/21/2012