Carver’s Myles plays hurt in loss to Mays

If if sounds like Darren Myles Sr. is calling the shots for his son, the AJC Super 11 safety from Carver-Atlanta, he’s not.

The only thing Myles Sr. asks for Myles Jr. is that he be patient with his decision, make a commitment and stick with it. The younger Myles has more than 40 offers to think about.

So if there’s any Super 11 player not likely to make a decision until January, it’s Myles.

“I just want to make sure the decision will be one he believes in,” Myles Sr. said. “I believe in commitment. That’s one reason we turned the program around at Carver. I need kids who are committed to being student-athletes and football players.”

When Myles Sr. came to Carver in 2005, the school hadn’t won more than three games in a season in 14 years. In his second season, Carver went 9-0 in the regular season and reached the quarterfinals of the Class AAA playoffs.

Criticized for its schedule, Carver had a chance to make a statement Friday night, but lost to Mays 37-19 at Lakewood Stadium.

Myles Jr., who is 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, showed early why he’s rated the No. 6 safety in the country by Rivals.com and No. 12 by Scout.com.

Quick to the ball against the run, he made six tackles in Mays’ first two possessions, but he came out twice with ankle trouble and limped through the final two-and-a-half quarters.

His 24-yard touchdown run would have tied the game 20-20 in the third quarter, but a penalty brought it back. He was re-injured two plays later and was no factor the rest of the way.

Carver didn’t score and never threatened again, and his replacement had a pass run back for Mays’ clinching touchdown.

Today, Myles will be watching film. “To be honest with you, the recruiting stuff is on the back burner,” Myles Sr. said.

Don’t expect Myles Jr. to make any official visits until November. That’s the advice of the father.

Myles Sr. was a pretty good high school player in New Orleans, confident enough to snub the home-state school, LSU, because it didn’t want him as a running back.

On a visit to Baton Rouge this summer, Myles Sr. had some fun with those memories, even if the current LSU staff had nothing to do with it.

“I told them they sure made a mistake on that one,” Myles Sr. said with a little laugh.

Myles Sr. made the right choice for him: Purdue.

Myles Jr. has said he won’t commit until January at the earliest,.

His father doesn’t advise him on schools. Among those who have made offers to Myles are Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State and West Virginia.

The father says he wants his son to make the right decision. Play football now, visit later, follow your gut. “One thing about it, people say what they want to say, but you know when a school is right for you,” Myles Sr. said. “It’s like going to a party. If something doesn’t’ feel right, you leave.”