Troy added some more depth to its secondary when defensive back Lenyatta Kiles, Jr., decided he would play his final season of eligibility for the Trojans.
Kiles, 6-foot and 192 pounds, confirmed his decision to the Dothan Eagle Wednesday. He said he had purchased a plane ticket to Montgomery and was set to arrive on July 29. Cornerbacks coach Julius Brown played a big role in Kiles' recruitment, he said.
Kiles is from Los Angeles, Calif., and spent the last two seasons at Indiana University. He did not play as a senior, using that as a redshirt year, but was able to graduate this spring and due to the NCAA’s graduate transfer rule, can be eligible for Troy if he picks a graduate major not offered by Indiana.
“It’s definitely true. I am going to Troy,” Kiles said. “They have my graduation transcript and everything. Troy was one of the first schools to contact me and they’ve always been in contact with me. I felt like Troy was the best opportunity for me and a better fit for me to get some exposure.”
Recently, T.J. Bryant transferred to Troy from Southern Cal for his final year of eligibility.
Kiles prepped at Culver City (Calif.) High School. He played two years at Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif., earning all-conference honors as a sophomore with two interceptions, 11 pass breakups and 30 tackles.
At Indiana in 2010, he moved from cornerback to safety and played in seven games. He had seven tackles and a fumble recovery that season. He moved back to cornerback during the 2011 spring practice, but did not play last season. He left the team midway through the 2011 season as younger players got playing time under the new IU coaching staff.
Kiles said he would play cornerback at Troy, but has experience at safety. He signed to play under Bill Lynch at Indiana. He suffered a groin injury that required surgery, and after that, Lynch was fired and Kevin Wilson took over.
“We didn’t leave on bad terms,” Kiles said. “It was a mutual decision. With me being a senior and on scout team, they didn’t want me being around if I wasn’t going to play, but they let me use the workout facilities and let me stay on and graduate. I have no hard feelings.
“I’m a strong believer in that things happen for a reason and Troy is the reason things have happened. I’m eager to get to Troy, get on the field and meet my new teammates.”
Kiles had interest from Bethune-Cookman, Southern Illinois, Montana and Miami of Ohio, among others, as well as Troy.
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