KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The long road to Division I for Danville native Devin Miles officially ended on Friday.
Miles announced on his Facebook page that he has committed to play at Western Michigan University after playing this past season at Mount San Antonio Community College in Walnut, Calif.
“I made the decision a few weeks ago and I am annoucning it now,” Miles said. “I picked Western because they were around since the start of the recruiting process, they have shown the most love and kept in touch every day and saw how I was doing. They showed nothing but love and it is all family up here. Also it is three-four hours from home and it gives friends and family members a chance to watch me play.”
Miles made the most of his time at Mt. SAC for his sophomore season. Miles ran for 1,280 yards with 15 touchdowns and helped the Mounties make the California 3C2A State Championship game.
“It was a great time and great experience. I was blessed to go out and play ball,” Miles said. “They helped me to get to where I am at. They played a big part of my process because of the top ball they play in California and I showed how I can play out there.
“I didn’t know much about Jucos coming out, but I ran into a coach that I knew and he told me a about a coach at Mount Sac that he had played for and he brought me out there.”
Even though Miles got offers from schools like Middle Tennessse University, Robert Morris University and Tennessee-Martin, it was a visit to Kalamazoo that sealed the deal with Western Michigan.
“First and formost, everything was great,” Miles said. “I was part of the covid class and that messed up chances for visits and opportunities, so it was my first visit to a college and to experiencve everyhting and showing me the love felt good because I never experienced it before.”
The announcement to play for Western Michigan meant the end of a process that started after Miles finished play for Danville High.
“It was very tough because I had Division I offers in High School, but with Covid giving seniors another year, those offers were taken away,” Miles said. “It was a tough time and since it hit late in the school year, I had to make a decision on what I was going to do. It played a big part of the process and it has been an challenge with a lot of adversity to get to where I am, but I stood tall, put ten toes down and kept going.”
As Miles prepares to play for the Broncos in the Mid-American Conference in the fall, he feels that everything before will prepare him for the challenges ahead.
“I feel that I have always been ready since Day 1,” Miles said. “It is a new team, new league and new level, but you have to play the same and keep workign hard and keep grinding. I am going to have to leave it up to God to see where I am going.”