USF's Miller glad to have a fresh slate

Joel Miller is finally back where he is most comfortable.

"I'm out here playing football," Miller said Friday evening. "This is what I want to do. Everyone has a fresh slate, a fresh start. Everyone gets to show what they can do."

The University of South Florida football team donned pads Friday for the first time since former coach Jim Leavitt was fired and replaced by Skip Holtz.

Miller, a walk-on running back from Wharton High, was at the center of Leavitt's dismissal. A four-week investigation concluded Leavitt grabbed Miller by the throat during halftime of a Nov. 21 game against Louisville and struck him twice in the face.

After initially denying the incident as reported by FanHouse.com, Miller acknowledged the confrontation happened as originally reported. He said he was trying to protect Leavitt by telling investigators and school officials a different story.

More than two months later, the Bulls are back on the field for their first spring practice under Holtz.

There was speculation that some of his teammates might not want Miller back on the team following the messy end to Leavitt's tenure.

When Holtz took over in January and began meeting individually with players, he gauged the mood surrounding Miller's return to the team. He decided to move forward with Miller remaining a part of the team.

"I addressed it with everybody individually to find out if it was a problem, and I don't think it is on this team," Holtz said Friday. "I think time heals a lot of things and these players right now are interested in moving forward."

Senior receiver Dontavia Bogan, who voiced disappointment the day Leavitt was fired in January, has accepted Holtz and said Friday there has been a sense of team unity during the first three days of spring practice.

Miller's role in Leavitt's firing and his presence back on the field has not been a distraction, according to said.

"No one hates him," Bogan said. "He's family. We are all one. We treat him the same as we treat anybody else. We're past all that."

Since the story broke and Leavitt was fired, Miller has often been a target of fans on message boards and sports-talk radio. Some blame him for Leavitt's firing. Others say he should never have spoken up. Miller said once he steps inside the fence surrounding USF's practice fields, none of that matters.

"When you come in here, it's to play football," he said. "That's it. Coach Holtz has been great. Everyone has been great around here."

Miller remains a walk-on but is striving to make more of an impact on the field and perhaps gain a scholarship. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a senior at Wharton.

"That's always a hope," he said of earning a scholarship. "That's what I've always wanted ever since I walked on at USF. If the opportunity comes, that would be a great opportunity for me. I just want to show them what I can do. I'd love to get some reps at running back."

The day after Holtz was introduced as USF's coach Jan. 15, he said he would evaluate Miller the same way he would every other player. So far, Holtz is confident that Miller remaining part of the team won't disrupt team chemistry.

"I haven't seen it," Holtz said. "I haven't heard of anything nor seen anything that would make me say that there is any kind of animosity toward him right now with what's gone on."