Coach 'absolutely' supported

The alleged armed robbery that has rocked Citadel football has not shaken athletic director Larry Leckonby's faith in coach Kevin Higgins.

"Absolutely, no question about it," Leckonby said Tuesday when asked if he supports the fifth-year coach.

The football program has come under scrutiny since quarterback Miguel Starks and former player Reggie Rice were arrested last Saturday on charges of armed robbery, kidnapping, first-degree burglary and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. The victim was Citadel assistant football coach Joshua Harpe, according to police.

"I think Kevin has more than proven himself over the years as a football coach and a person," Leckonby said. "He's an excellent leader for our program."

Starks, a 19-year-old sophomore from Atlanta, was no longer enrolled at The Citadel as of Tuesday, according to school officials.

Police are investigating a possible link between the Harpe case and another home invasion that took place Feb. 24. Two College of Charleston students, 20-year-old Stephen Francois and 18-year-old Sasha Gaskins, also were charged in the Harpe case.

Gaskins and Francois, whom authorities described as her boyfriend, will face a disciplinary review at the College of Charleston whenever they are released from jail, said Mike Robertson, College of Charleston's director of media relations.

Gaskins is a sociology major whose minor course of study is crime, law and society, Robertson said. Francois transferred to the college this semester from Charleston Southern University. His declared major is education, Robertson said.

On her Facebook page, Gaskins goes by the name "Sasha Untouchable Gaskins," describing herself as "the coolest girl you'll ever meet."

Reaction from The Citadel alumni and supporters, Leckonby said, has run the gamut in the wake of the arrest of Starks and Rice, who was dismissed from the team in 2008.

"I've heard everything from full support to full surprise and displeasure with our program," Leckonby said. "I think overall, though, everyone who knows Kevin Higgins and knows us and knows the kids here is 100 percent supportive of what this school stands for, both as The Citadel and as a football program."

Leckonby and Higgins met with the media Tuesday for the first time since the arrests of Starks and Rice. Citadel president Lt. Gen. John Rosa was not available for comment, a school spokesman said. Two members of The Citadel's Board of Visitors did not return phone calls to The Post and Courier.

Higgins, who has a record of 24 wins and 32 losses in five seasons at The Citadel, would only take questions regarding football. A school official cut off questions for Leckonby after about five minutes.

One of the thorniest questions facing Citadel officials regards the recruiting of Rice, who pleaded guilty to statutory rape in 2005 while a student at Greenbrier High School in Augusta, Ga. He was signed to a national letter of intent in February 2006 as part of Higgins' first recruiting class at The Citadel. He sat out a redshirt year in the 2006 season and played in all 11 games as a linebacker in 2007.

When asked if The Citadel needs to review its recruiting standards, Leckonby -- hired by The Citadel in June 2008 -- said: "First of all, I'm not 100 percent familiar with the facts. I don't think I can comment on anything associated with Reggie."

Higgins, meanwhile, said he informed Starks on Feb. 23 that the player would not be participating in spring practice so that he could concentrate on academics.

In the weekend incident, Harpe was confronted at gunpoint, hit in the head with a gun and bound with duct tape, just hours before The Citadel's spring practice began.

Higgins said Harpe, who is a 2007 Citadel graduate and a former Bulldogs player, has not yet returned to work as an assistant coach.

"He is doing well, but he is not back on the job," Higgins said. "He is not doing his formal responsibilities now. He's taking some time off, obviously, but he is doing well."

Asked if he was concerned about his program's image, Higgins said, "I think our players understand what this school is about, and our players know what they are about ... They know the time they put in and what they represent. They know that there was one bad decision that was made there, and our guys are ready to move on."

The Bulldogs had a team meeting Monday night in which they discussed where they go from here.

"Everybody in the room was talking about where we go moving forward," Higgins said. "The big thing is, we've got some great leaders in our program right now. They talked about staying together, about leaders stepping up and understanding what we are as a program. It was an incredible meeting and I think all of this will end up working to the good for our program."

Glenn Smith contributed to this report.