Football Recruiting
Report
Friday, July 12, 2013
By Sammy Batten |
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Prep coach sees bright
future for Carter
Pirates tap Sunshine State
to shore up linebacker corps
By
Sammy Batten
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
Sometime during the spring
semester of the 2011-2012 academic year, Ponte Vedra (FL) High School
football coach Mike Loyd walked into the gymnasium and something
immediately caught his eye.
"There was this kid in
there dunking the ball with both hands without taking a step,'' recalled
Loyd, a veteran coach who has worked 27 years in the high school and
college ranks.
Joe Carter was a sophomore
who had just transferred to Ponte Vedra from Indiana. Loy would learn
that Carter was lacking football experience but was blessed with
athleticism and a tremendous work ethic.
"I saw the athleticism
right away,'' Loyd said. "He could run in the 4.58 range (in 40-yard
dash) and is a 38-inch vertical (leap) guy. He was a step behind in
regards to football knowledge. But he is really a driven young man. He's
the hardest working kid I've had in my 27 years as a football coach.''
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound
Carter went on to start for Loyd at outside linebacker as a junior,
producing 50 tackles, two sacks and an interception playing alongside
Tennessee commit, Dillon Bates. When East Carolina's defensive
coordinator and secondary coach Rick Smith dropped in to watch Bates
last spring, he came away impressed with Carter.
The result was a
scholarship offer from the Pirates, which Carter accepted on June 28 to
become the fifth member of the recruiting Class of 2014. Carter is the
first linebacker to made a pledge to ECU and the third defensive player.
"They (ECU) came down to
see Dillon Bates and I told them Joe Carter was a Bates clone,'' Loyd
said. "I've been fortunate enough to coach a lot of NFL and Division I
players, and I told them Joe Carter is one of those guys. This is not
rocket science like a lot of young coaches want to make it. Joe is a guy
who can run, jump and is a great student-athlete. He's an even better
young man off the field. He wants to be great.
"It didn't take long for a
real ball coach to see his ability to play at that (Division I) level
and that he could be an impact player at that level.''
Loyd should know. During a
five-year stint as head coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in
the 1990s, he coached linebacker Charlie Clemmons who went on to play at
Georgia and earn a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams. He later
helped develop future Oklahoma and NFL tight end Jermaine Gresham while
head coach at Ardmore High School in Oklahoma. Those are just two of
hundreds of players Loyd has workd with that went on to college or
professional football.
Carter's talents remind
Loyd of Clemmons.
"Charlie was a hybrid
guy,'' Loyd said. "He played for me in the 1990s at Northeastern
Oklahoma when we won the national (junior college) championship. He got
his break and ended up playing with the Rams and Texans. He won a Super
Bowl ring and was a first-team All-SEC pick.
"Joe reminds me of Charlie
because he's very explosive. They are a similar size and have that same
desire and drive.''
Carter's desire helped
make a play last season that Loyd has kept pictured in his memory and on
the wall in the team weight room. During the Sharks 10-2 finish, which
also included the Class 5-A district title, Carter launched himself to
block a punt.
"The picture of it is on
the wall here in my office,'' Loyd said. "He's blocking the punt and
he's parallel across the line of scrimmage. He just sold out completely
to get the punt blocked. That showed me right there what kind of
character and determination he has. He gave his body to help our team
win. He blocked three or four punts for us last year.''
Air Force,
Alabama-Birmingham, Appalachian State and Lehigh also offered Carter
scholarships in addition to ECU. Indiana, Michigan State and Purdue were
also expressing interest, according to Loyd.
The Pirates signed a
strong linebacker class in February, but will graduate two inside
linebackers following the 2013 season in Kyle Tudor and Ty Holmes.
All-star inside linebacker Jeremy Grove will complete his eligibility
after the 2014 season.
Although Carter has played
outside linebacker for Ponte Vedra, he's expected to shift to inside
linebacker at ECU.
"Joe can play both,'' Loyd
said. "He's physical enough now at 220 pounds. I think East Carolina is
getting a phenomenal athlete who is only going to get better and better.
He was impressed with what they're doing there at East Carolina. They
were one of the first couple of schools to show an interest in him and
let him know he'd have a chance to play early. He was impressed with the
coaching staff and how honest they were with him. I think they've gotten
themselves a real steal in Joe.''
Florida, as it has with
many programs because of the wealth of high school talent there, has
become a fertile recruiting ground for the Pirates. Four players on the
current roster hail from the Sunshine State in freshman quarterback Kurt
Benkert (Cape Coral), senior offensive lineman Jordan Davis (Fort Walton
Beach), junior offensive lineman Drew Gentry (Tallahassee) and senior
receiver Lance Ray (Quincy).
E-mail Sammy Batten
PAGE UPDATED
07/11/13 10:43 PM.
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