COLUMBIA After five suspensions, South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia thought it was finally time to leave. Then came the flood of support from teammates, convincing him to stay.

Garcia spoke publicly Sunday for the first time since his most recent suspension - the second of the spring and fifth since he came to campus - for "unacceptable behavior" at a life-skills seminar in April. Garcia was partially reinstated for summer workouts in May and given the green light for all team activities last week.

"I had been contemplating giving myself a second shot" at another school," he said. "It was a rough spring I had."

Garcia acknowledged he strongly considered a transfer and coach Steve Spurrier agreed to sign the papers if the quarterback wanted. Garcia graduated with a sociology degree last May and could play somewhere that offered a post-graduate program South Carolina did not.

But Garcia was swayed by tailback Marcus Lattimore and receiver Alshon Jeffery, who encouraged him to withstand the comments and criticism from those outside the team.

Garcia would not clarify what happened in the seminar, only saying that it "got crazy at the end" and he was asked to leave. Garcia called the meeting's leader and apologized the next day. That wasn't the end of it.

Spurrier, athletic director Eric Hyman and University President Harris Pastides all weighed in on the best course of action for Garcia, whose run-ins with authorities began shortly after he came to South Carolina.

ELSEWHERE

ALABAMA: Which quarterback will take the reins for potential national title contender Alabama this season? Phillip Sims, or AJ McCarron?

"People are going to ask you questions about it no matter where you are," said Sims, a redshirt freshman. "I think running from it is only going to make things worse. Just face it. It's a competition and everybody wants to know what's going on."

While it's the most persistent question facing the national title hopefuls, neither the coaches, the other players nor the two contenders seems to be sweating it too much.

"I've been really happy with how both have grasped the things we ask them to do," offensive coordinator Jim McElwain said.

Michigan: Coach Brady Hoke redshirted receiver Darryl Stonum and suspended punter Will Hagerup and receiver Terrence Robinson for the first four games of the season.

Hoke made the announcement Sunday, the day before leading the Wolverines in their first preseason practice.

Hagerup and Robinson violated unspecified team rules.

Stonum was sentenced in June to two years of probation for operating while visibly impaired. When Stonum was a freshman in 2008, he was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Stonum ended up in jail last summer because he didn't comply with terms of his probation.

RUTGERS: Even from a wheelchair, Eric LeGrand is contributing to the team this season.

Ten months after LeGrand suffered a serious spinal injury making a special teams tackle against Army, the defensive tackle was at the team's media day Sunday.