Carter Lands First OfferMay 6, 2009
Stonewall (La.) North De Soto athlete Curtis Carter elated over first offer
Like a new business owner awaiting his first sale, waiting for the first offer to arrive can be just as stressful for recruits. However, placing the first dollar in the register and pinning the first offer on the wall are equally satisfying.
Curtis Carter (6-1, 185, 4.41) had been waiting for what seemed to be an eternity for his first offer to arrive, but his wait ended over the weekend.
“Nebraska offered,” Carter exclaimed. “That was my first one! It was very, very, very, relieving because I had been waiting on that first one for a while now.
“The Nebraska coaches came to my school last Thursday and talked to my coach,” Carter continued. “They sat and watched some of my film and my coach also gave them a copy to take. Then over the weekend coach John Papuchis emailed me and said coach Bo Pelini wanted to talk to me. So I gave him a call and he said he wanted to offer me a scholarship.”
While the Nebraska offer is what should be the first of many for the North Desoto High School product, the thought of committing did cross Carter’s mind.
“Once I got the offer my pops (dad) wanted me to go ahead and commit,” Carter stated. “He’s been a Nebraska fan forever and just loves their tradition. I told him I was going to wait and weigh my options because we still have a whole season to go through.”
Although the Huskers are the only program to offer the speedster thus far, Carter claimed several other teams have showed interest.
“A bunch of coaches have come to my school,” Carter informed. “LSU was one of the first to come, but Alabama, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M have also passed through since then.
“Recruiting has really been heating up since I scored so high at the Nike Sparx combine in Texas,” Carter added. “I had the second highest score with like a 122 and that was out of more than 600 kids. I think it opened the eyes of a lot of people.”
Not only did his combine numbers standout, but so did his statistics from last season as he passed for 708 yards and ran for another 262 yards while scoring 17 times. His athleticism caught the eye of LSU Head Coach Les Miles leaving him wanting more.
“The last time I visited LSU, I sat down and talked with coach Miles,” Carter explained. “He said he liked the way I played and wanted me to visit LSU more often so we could get to know each other more. He didn’t say he was going to offer. He basically just said anything could happen.”
According to Carter, having an out-of-state school to be the first to offer stung a little, but he claimed it took nothing away from LSU.
“It’s no big deal,” Carter said of Miles holding back an offer. “It just said a lot about Nebraska. They were willing to take a shot with me early and it showed how much they believed in me. They let me know we’re here. I’ll always remember my first one.
“I guess I’ll have to prove a little more and I don’t have a problem with that,” Carter said of landing an LSU offer. “I’ll go to those combines with a chip on my shoulder. I’ll let everyone know that my numbers at the Nike Sparx combine and at the Schuman’s Underclassmen combine were no fluke. I’ll let them know I can do it more than once or more than twice if they like. I’m a competitor. I don’t like second, I like first place. It’s just how I am. I compete to be the best.”
Note: Carter intends on making a visit to Nebraska for the first time this summer with trips planned to LSU, Alabama, and possibly to Texas Tech as well. Carter recorded the fastest 40-time at the Schuman’s National Underclassmen combine as well as one of the best shuttle times and vertical jump. His numbers granted him an invitation to participate in the invitation-only Ultimate 100 Camp this summer.
