Our Honor Defend

In this 18th installment of the second edition of this now 25-part series titled Better Know A Buckeye, I arrive at the case of Duron Carter, a wide receiver from Ft. Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas juggernaut.  Duron is a name that likely the casual Buckeye fan has already come across in his travels: he is the son of Buckeye legend, NFL great and current ESPN personality Cris Carter.  Duron didn’t seem to be an early lock to follow his father’s path and become a second-generation Buckeye.  He admitted to following Michigan in his youth and his recruitment was basically a two-horse race between LSU and Ohio State with LSU taking an early lead.  Fortunately for Ohio State fans, the tide turned in Ohio State’s favor sometime following his visit to Columbus for the Spring Game.  Below, I revisit his story and how he arrived at his commitment.  Later, I consider his strengths and weaknesses.  After mentioning some miscellaneous items, Duron will be better known and his name will be put on “the board” accordingly.

Height: 6’3
Weight: 190lbs
40: 4.5
High School: St. Thomas Aquinas HS; Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

His Recruitment: Duron was initially wanting for interest early into his recruitment.  After all, he is Cris Carter’s son — a pedigree that’s sure to get attention from college football recruiters.  More importantly, he was part of the 2007 state champion St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders football program.  However, there was no flurry of interest in Carter.  One possible reason is the nature of the team for whom he plays.  Aquinas is a rush-heavy team, as most high school teams are.  Duron was usually consigned to the role of blocker.  While he relished the role he played for his team, it did ultimately leave him with a limited highlight reel for consideration.  He only had 22 catches for 361 yards and 8 TDs in 2007.  Hey, maybe all Duron Carter does is catch touchdown passes like his old man.

While his recruiting story started rather quietly, it picked up some steam in early Spring 2008.  A variety of offers started to come in for Duron.  South Florida was one of his first offers.  Auburn followed soon afterwards.  Wisconsin even extended an offer, giving Duron the rare opportunity to play college football with his uncle.  While those offers were considered by Duron, none of them were a big factor.  His recruitment is largely reducible to a two-horse race between LSU and Ohio State, both of whom just met in a game New Orleans that I don’t feel needs further description.

LSU won that game, as we grudgingly remember, and it looked like they were in the early lead for Duron Carter as well.  Where Ohio State poached the son of an LSU legend in the 2005 class, LSU was the early favorite to return the favor to Ohio State.  Duron was impressed with the national championship Louisiana State had just won, citing that only one team can make that recruiting pitch each year.  It just happened to be LSU in that particular recruiting class.  When pressed to name the schools of interest, Duron mentioned the Tigers and the Buckeyes.  While those two coming up should not be surprising, Duron saying LSU had “a slight lead” in the same breath on April 11, 2008, may have been cause for concern for those of us who like Buckeye legacies.

LSU had the early lead between the two, but it never made any further inroads with Duron after that interview linked above.  Ohio State, on the other hand, moved to the forefront.  Duron attended Ohio State’s Spring Game and came back with pleasant reviews.  Not ready to name a favorite, and still with very few offers, he nonetheless spoke positively of the experience and being able to talk to Terrelle Pryor, Etienne Sabino, DeVier Posey and others.  He remarked how Ohio State’s coaching staff treats everyone like family.  As the months progressed, all news seemed to focus on Ohio State as the school to beat.  He made plans to come up to Columbus with his family for the Senior Elite Camp on June 20.  A few weeks earlier, a BuckeyePlanet poster claimed to have met Duron’s grandma and came back with some good news.

Met Duron’s grandma yesterday (Cris’ mom) and she said that Duron is 100% Buckeye and will be committing before the season starts. She was extremely kind and when I asked her if he was sure he wanted to come all the way up to Ohio, she responded by saying that he will NOT be attending any other university than tOSU. A very cool person overall, she definitely looks like Cris.

Did this portend some good news on the horizon for Duron’s late June return to Columbus?

His Commitment: It did.  On June 20th, Duron felt he had seen enough of what everyone could offer him and opted to become the newest Buckeye legacy.  In giving his commitment to Ohio State, he felt he was committing to “the best school in the country”.

I committed to Ohio State and it feels good to know I’ll be attending the best school in the country,” Duron Carter said. “I committed to Jim Tressel during a break at one the sessions. He was pretty happy and he said he thinks I can accomplish big things at Ohio State. My dad was really happy and he was pretty emotional. I’m happy to know I have my college locked in and now I can concentrate on winning a state title in high school.

As Duron indicated, it’s debatable for whom Duron’s commitment was a bigger deal.  Duron found himself a place to spend the next 4 or 5 years, growing as a person.  For Papa Carter, the commitment may have resonated a little stronger.

“This is a great moment for me and I’m kind of speechless right now,” Cris Carter said. “They’re on a break right now and I’m off by myself taking it all in. (Ohio State wide receivers) Coach Hazell has been coaching him all day. This is kind of surreal. This morning I went for a walk and thought to myself that I can’t believe how great this is. I feel like I died and went to heaven because I get to go through the Buckeye experience twice.”

Awesome.

Duron’s June 20th decision qualifies him as the 18th verbal commitment in the class.  He was the first of the two Florida kids in the class to choose Ohio State (Jaamal Berry being the other).  He was also the first of two Buckeye legacies in the 2009 class.  Sam Longo’s old man is Gene Longo, a Bruce-era alum.

Where He Excels: Duron might be a chip off the ol’ block.  Much of the superlatives given to Duron stem from what made his old man so great in the NFL.  It doesn’t hurt that Duron probably had better instruction than 99% of high school football players.

His hands are enormous and will consume any ball in sight.  His hands are as soft as his old man’s.  He also displays similar awareness on his routes.  Unlike a Ted Ginn Jr type of receiver, Duron will not use speed to create separation.  He will use smooth, crisp movements to create the needed cushion between he and the defender.  Aside from knowing not to round off routes, he’s already picked up a few tricks.  For example, he breaks towards the ball on an out route at such an angle that allows the quarterback to make an easier throw and makes it more difficult for the defensive back to jump the route for an interception.  He also displays a keen awareness on the jump ball, another attribute his old man showed in the pros and for Ohio State under Earle Bruce.  The ability to catch the ball away from the body should make him a reliable target for Terrelle Pryor.

Of course, what would any receiver be for Ohio State that was skittish at blocking.  Fortunately, blocking is something Duron did a lot of for St. Thomas Aquinas.  Moreover, it’s something he enjoyed.  The enthusiasm for downfield blocking is definitely there and I’m optimistic that his bloodlust will increase when he’s a Buckeye.  I’m hoping he becomes the kind of psychopath that Hines Ward is for the Steelers.

Must Work On: Duron has a great burst out of the gates and knows, like his father, that those first few seconds are key in creating separation.  However, he doesn’t have that ideal top-end speed to become a home run threat.  He’s a good target on vertical routes, but the jets simply aren’t there.  Further, I’m not sure there’s anything that can be done about it.  This will simply mean he’s not going to be a Ted Ginn Jr type of receiver, but that’s not why he’s here.

In terms of obvious limitations, that’s about it.  Duron’s a very smart receiver and has to already know the little tricks and tools that most people would need years to figure out for themselves.

Redshirt? On matters like this, Tressel usually gives the players the choice.  There will be a logjam at the position, but Duron and his fellow classmates will actually be part of that logjam, rather than sitting below or behind it.  I think it’s inconceivable that Duron Carter redshirts in 2009 since early playing time was something he mentioned frequently during his recruitment.

Highlights:

Next up, Duron Carter in his own words.

Miscellany

• Duron went from winning a state title in 2007 to being awarded a national championship in 2008.  His team has won 24 straight games.
• St. Thomas Aquinas is the same HS as former Buckeye Nate Salley and the HS of current target Lamarcus Joyner.  Both Duron and Joyner were at Ohio State for the 2009 Spring Game.
• His HS team played in the Kirk Herbstreit Challenge.  They beat Elder 35-24 in Paul Brown Stadium on national TV.  It was also Duron Carter’s most productive game of the season.  He had 4 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.
• Duron flirted with the idea of playing for Michigan.  He even admitted that Michigan was a favorite program to watch in his youth.  This is awful, but apparently reducible to A) being a fan of Braylon Edwards and B) Cris Carter not forcing anything on his son.
• He didn’t even entertain the thought of playing for Ohio State until Ohio State offered him.  This is all in spite of his father being an Ohio State legend.

“I never actually thought about going to Ohio State before they offered,” Carter said. “I took a visit up there and I felt like that was the right place for me and what I wanted to do with my career.”

• I wonder if there’s a back-story here that hasn’t been said yet.  Cris Carter didn’t leave Ohio State on the best of terms, and that may mean that it was never brought up around his house.  Yet, when Duron was on the recruiting trail, his dad would’ve liked for him to consider Ohio State, but was not going to force anything on him.  Did Cris Carter ultimately live in isolation from the college football program for that long? I’m thinking aloud here, because I find it interesting that Duron could grow up with no interest in Ohio State, and yet have a dad who wanted him to consider it and got so emotional when Duron made his decision.
• At the 2008 Spring Game, Terrelle told Duron that his father’s no. 2 is waiting for him should he choose to come to Ohio State and want that number.  Duron, however, is deferring to the elder Pryor.

“I probably won’t wear No. 2,” Carter said. “Terrelle made a name for himself wearing No. 2 and I have no problem with him wearing it. He was there first and he deserved it. He’s a great player and he has seniority over me and any other incoming freshman. I’ll take heed of that.”

• Instead, Duron is going to try to acquire jersey #4.  He cites the fact that it just looks appropriate on wide receivers.
• He plans to enroll in the College of Business.
• Lantern profile: here.
• Duron Carter played in the Under-Armour All-American Game, joining Melvin Fellows’ Safari Planet, Jack Mewhort, CJ Barnett and Jaamal Berry.
• Pre-compiled stats, courtesy of Bucknuts:

* Vital Statistics: Carter had 39 catches for over 700 yards and scored 14 touchdowns as St. Thomas Aquinas posted a 15-0 record and won the Class 5A state championship for the second consecutive year. Following his senior year, Carter played in the Under Armour All-American Game (two catches for 43 yards). As a junior, Carter caught 22 passes for 361 yards (16.4 average) and eight touchdowns. He is the son of former OSU All-American and all-time great NFL wide receiver Cris Carter.

* Rankings: Carter is rated as the nation’s No. 18 wide receiver prospect by ESPN.com. He is also a member of the ESPN 150, ranking as the nation’s No. 131 overall prospect. SuperPrep ranked Carter as the No. 16 prospect overall in Florida and as an All-American as the nation’s 19th-best wide receiver prospect.

All things considered, I think Duron is better known.  I hope his career is such that we refer to Cris Carter as Duron’s dad, rather than haunt Duron with being Cris Carter’s son.  Think of my wish here how most Buckeye fans think of Ron Springs as Shawn’s father because Shawn Springs’ career was such that people readily forgot he was the offspring of Woody’s last tailback.

And, the board:

Class of 2009
Name	Position	Hometown	Better Known?	Name	Position	Hometown	Better Known?
CJ Barnett	DB	Clayton, OH	02.20	Marcus Hall	OL	Glenville, OH
Dorian Bell	LB	Monroeville, PA	04.10	Adam Homan	FB	Coldwater, OH	01.29
Adam Bellamy	DT	Aurora, OH	05.26	Carlos Hyde	RB	Naples, FL
Jaamal Berry	RB	Miami, FL		James Jackson	WR	Grand Ledge, TSUN	03.05
Zach Boren	FB	Pickerington, OH	01.22	Storm Klein	LB	Nerk, Ahia	02.02
Corey Brown	WR/DB	Monroeville, PA		Corey Linsley	OL	Youngstown, OH	05.11
Duron Carter	WR	Ft. Lauderdale, FL	06.03	Sam Longo	OL	Belbrook, OH
Dominic Clarke	DB	Frederick MD	02.11	Jack Mewhort	OL	Toledo, OH	02.05
Melvin Fellows’ Safari Planet	DE	Garfield Heights, OH	04.24	Jonathan Newsome	LB/DE	Glenville, OH
Chris Fields	WR	Painesville, OH	04.02	John Simon	DE	Youngstown, OH	03.26
Reid Fragel	TE	Grosse Pointe, TSUN	05.18	Jordan Whiting	LB	Louisville, KY	03.12
Kenny Guiton	QB	Aldine, TX		Jamie Wood	DB	Pickerington, OH	02.26
Jordan Hall	ATH	Jeannette, PA	04.20