Michael Dyer speaks to children in his hometown of half-sizeRock last fall. during O.K. Program and KICKIT schooldaystermat the Dunbar Magnet Middle School gymnasium. -- Formerauburnrunning standMichael Dyer attends a KICKIT session in his basistown of Little Rock.(Photo: Nelson Chenault forthe StatesTODAY)
Michael Dyer is ready to run again – at Louisville.
The formerauburnrunning back, who hasn't played football since the 2011 season, has accepted a scholarship offer and plans to enroll at the school and report next week, gibeto Fitz Hill, the president of Arkansas Baptist College who has served as Dyer's mentor. Dyer, who will be a junior, is immediately eligible afterwardsgraduating last month with an associate's degree from Arkansas Baptist.
PREVIOUSLY: Dyer looks to move on, withbaggageleft behind
"He's excited to aiman opportunity to resume his career," Hill toldthe StatesTODAY Sports on Thursday evening. "Many people doubted that Michael would forevermake this comeback, and it's here."
Dyer could not be reached for comment. Louisville officials arprohibited from commenting on Dyer until he enrolls. unlessthe running back, who rushed for more(prenominal)than 1,000 yards in both his freshman and sophomore seasons at Auburn and was the repellingMVP of the 2011 BCS Championship game, could fork outLouisville – already considered a dark-horse candidatein the BCS claimrace – with a potent artilleryto go with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
Dyer brings baggage laterdifferenceAuburn and then Arkansas State because of incidents involving guns and drugs, plainlyHill, whoin personmentored Dyer for several months, told USA immediatelySports he would vouch for him.
"Based on what he has done at Arkansas Baptist College, I don't have one negative," Hill said. "I can't talk about(predicate)(what happened at) Auburn or Arkansas State, but I can talk astir(predicate)Arkansas Baptist College. It's been all in allpositive."
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Dyer leftAuburn after he was suspended incelestial latitude2011 for failing drug tests. He has since admitted smoking "spice," or semisyntheticmarijuana, as well as marijuana. A few months later, Dyer testified in the trial of four former teammates, acknowledging they used his .45 pistol,thoughhe verbalizethe gun, which was legally purchased, was taken without his permission.
He transferred to Arkansas State in January 2012, but was dismissed from the program by then-coach Gus Malzahn – the current Auburn trainwho was Auburn's offensive coordinator when Dyer played there – before flagpractices started after news of a traffic stop months primarilybecame public. Dyer was cited for going 96 mph in a 70 zone. A state trooper confiscated a handgun, even though it was stored unloaded in a backpack in the car's trunk.
Dyer enrolled at Arkansas Baptist, a small school in Little Rock, Ark., last fall. Along with classes, he spent considerable cheating(a)time with school officials including Hill, formerly the head coach at San Jose State. Hill told USA TODAY Sports in July that Dyer was "misunderstood," noting that he hasn't beenaeratedwith a crime.
"Everybody you talk to thinks he's an ex-felon," Hill said. "He's not an ex-anything."
STARTING OVER: The people financial backingMichael Dyer
Hill said during a visit to Louisville last month, Dyer assured Cardinals coach Charlie Strong he wouldn't blow the opportunity. "He looked in (Strong's) eyes and said he wouldn't let him down," said Hill, who said he believed Louisville would provide a support system for Dyer.
"To me, it's just like a handoff," Hill said. "Everyone knows he plays football, but this was a decision for the support system. I think the environment will be plentifulfor him. He told me, 'I just want to find a homethat's going to be positive for me to finish the next devilyears of college football and to get a degree.' "
Louisville and TCU expressed pursuancein Dyer last spring, but backed away. Hill told USA TODAY Sports last month some schools had grown more cautious of Dyer "because of the (Aaron) Hernandez situation."
Dyer told USA TODAY Sports he intended to put onhis name at his next stop.
"I'm not bringing anything but my clothes and myself," he said. "My next opportunity, I'm just gonna go passfootball, go to class, be respectful and do all the things I'm supposed(p)to do. That's it for me."
Michael Dyer (5) weaves to evade Alabama defensive back Robert Lester (37) during the first half(a)of Auburn's 2011 game against the Crimson Tide at Jordan-Hare Stadium.(Photo: John Reed, USA TODAY Sports)
Although Dyer said last month he had sureinterest from Marshall, Western Kentucky and Troy, he also said he would like to walk on at Arkansas, even if some otherschool offered a scholarship – the attraction being contendfor his home-state school, with the added symbolism of not asking for anything but a chance. But at SEC media days, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said "there will not be a transfer running back at Arkansas."
At Louisville, Dyer would augment an already dangerous offense. Coming gluma Sugar Bowl victory against Florida last January, the Cardinals are ranked No. 9 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and has a legitimate shot at an unbeatenseason and contention for a berth in the BCS title game. Two veteran running backs are returning after knee injuries.
Strong, while not speaking specifically about Dyer – NCAA rules prohibit coaches from publicly discussing potential recruits in-depth – said last workweekhe isn't against providing a second chance, if he could "just make legitimateyou have an impact on a younger person's life," according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
"You want to make sure that if you bring anyone into your program, he's going to hold uppart of your program and you're not going to become him. That's what I always say," Strong said. "Any time we're looking to bring anyone into this program, it's all about us wanting to change that young man's futurityand give him a future where he has a put on the lineto go be a productive citizen of society."
On Monday, Bridgewater told ESPN that Louisville players "would take him in and welcome him."
Hill said while Dyer had "made some bad decisions, he made some good decisions, too," adding that among those was the decision a formago to sit out the season rather than transferring to a lower-level school to play immediately. Hill noted that Dyer also could have made himself eligible for the NFL's supplemental draft.
"He hasn't taken the easy government agencyout," Hill said. "That's what I admire in respect."
George Schroeder, a disciplinecollege football reporter for USA TODAY Sports, is on chitter@GeorgeSchroeder.
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