South Carolina defensive lineman Kelcy Quarles indicated his father may have been premature in revealing that the Gamecocks junior would declare for early NFL draft eligibility. A defensive tackle prospect who leads the Gamecocks in tackles for loss (11) and sacks (7), the 6-foot-4, 300-pound standout said he is still considering staying with the Gamecocks for one more season.
"I don't know yet," said Quarles, according to greenvilleonline.com. "We've been talking about it. Me and Coach (Lorenzo) Ward and Coach (Steve) Spurrier have been talking about it. I haven't really made my mind up yet. They're leaving it up to me. I might, I might not. I just don't know, yet."
Buddy Quarles told gogamecocks.com that his son would be turning pro early, and Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier invited Quarles to be honored along with the senior class on Senior Day, next week against Clemson, if his mind was made up. Quarles' focus, he said, is on the Gamecocks' chance at playing for an SEC championship.
"Right now I'm just focused on -- we've got a couple of big games left. We're hoping something happens with Missouri and we can get the SEC Championship," he added. "I really want to go play against those guys. It's Alabama, the No. 1 team in the nation. I just want to go out and out-play the best I can with my teammates while I can."
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