Does the student athlete still exist? Yes, TRUE student athletes are still out there. However there is a greater emphasis placed on athletic ability vs academic success.
Well, “Big Frank” is refreshing in today’s prep football recruiting world. Frank Carter, Hillsborough 2014 OT is a monster. He is a gentle giant that will fool you if you attempt to underestimate him.
Way before sports were a big part of his life, academic success was at the forefront of his priority list. I asked Carter if he was concerned about recruiting before he started receiving more attention or picked up his first offer? This is how he responded, “To be honest, I really didn’t even consider recruiting or college football at all until I started receiving attention. I’m an IB (International Baccalaureate) student so I always expected to just go to college to only be a student. My parents were just pushing me to have good grades and test scores and not much in football at all. When I started receiving some of my first football letters from colleges, that was when I realized that I have a shot to play college football.”
His response was natural and surprising, as he plays like a man mad! He has really good bend, a great first step, solid base and feet in pass pro. He is powerful with good pad leverage and leg drive in run game. What do college coaches like about his game? “All of the college coaches I’ve talked to so far say they love my explosiveness off the ball. They’ve also mentioned that they like seeing a lot of pancakes on my highlights because it shows dominance. Another thing is that some coaches are surprised with the way I move for my weight. They say I move pretty well for a heavier offensive lineman. One more thing is that they say I have the versatility to play guard or center, which is important cause I’m not tall enough to play tackle in college.”
Right now, what schools have the most attractive playing situation where he may be able to play a lot early according to their current depth chart? “As of right now, I haven’t researched any of the depth charts of schools that are interested in me. It would probably be a good idea to do so because, I really want to play early so it would be a factor in my college decision. I think I could get some early playing time at possibly UMASS and Georgia Tech. But, that’s just based on what I’ve heard from the respective offensive line coaches. I have to do more research on current depth charts.”