Carter Hopes A Change In Scenery Leads To Greater Production
August 11, 2023 03:06 PM | Football, Blog
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By: John Antonik
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For West Virginia University senior wide receiver Devin Carter, the choice for playing a sixth season of college football came down to one word – volume.
He knew his situation at NC State, and he researched what was out there for him in the transfer portal at Penn State and other places before determining that West Virginia was the best option for him at this point in his career.
His No. 1 goal is getting to the NFL, and putting together a year with a lot of targets was high on his list.
So, with West Virginia losing its top four receivers, one of them being Bryce Ford-Wheaton who grew up not too far from Carter in North Carolina, Morgantown, West Virginia, it was.
"I asked him (Ford-Wheaton) about the strength and conditioning program, some of the coaches and how it is at West Virginia period," Carter said earlier this week. "He kind of helped me out and gave me a good perspective of what I would be dealing with if I came here. I was like, 'You know, we're roughly from around the same area, and if he can do it then it shouldn't be a big problem for me.'"
Carter had four solid seasons at NC State, catching 118 passes for 1,906 yards and 10 touchdowns, but he never was really targeted enough to have the monster season he felt he could have.
His redshirt freshman year in 2019, he caught 32 passes for 456 yards – good, but not mind-blowing. It was the same deal in 2020 when he caught 29 passes for 477 yards and two touchdowns during the COVID season.
Two years ago, Carter was responsible for 31 catches for 556 yards and six touchdowns. Again, it was good, but not off-the-charts exceptional - and then last year was more of the same – 25 catches for 406 yards and two touchdowns. Therefore, he figured a change of scenery was probably in order.
"I thought about declaring after last season at NC State, and I felt like I could make a better mark in the college world, so I felt like I would help myself by transferring to another school. That's kind of what I did," he said.
Carter said discussions with scouts and advisors after the season convinced him that he needed to put together a really good college football season with the numbers to match his impressive size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and athleticism.
Fittingly, he ended up choosing a school in a state where his grandparents and his mother, Tammy Hairston, once lived. His grandparents used to live in Princeton and his mom was born in the Welch area before attending West Virginia State University in Institute, West Virginia.
"My granddad used to coal mine and my mom and grandma used to get water from an actual well growing up. It's kind of crazy," Carter said.
The Tar Heel State entered the picture for him when his mother's job in retail required her to transfer to Clayton, North Carolina, which is just southeast of Raleigh. Now, he says she works in financial planning for Edward Jones.
NC State became a likely college destination for Devin after an impressive prep career at Clayton High that included 160 catches for 2,700 yards and 39 touchdowns. Devin Carter caught 118 passes for 1,906 yards and 10 touchdowns at NC State.
And he's looking to make his mark at WVU in Morgantown, West Virginia – which is a 180-degree change from what he was used to experiencing in Raleigh.
"It's been an adjustment," he admitted. "The mountains are pretty and it's kind of quiet out here. There is not too much that you can do, really, but I came out here for football anyway so that's what I've tried to keep my focus on."
Carter said he's also had to get used to the way West Virginia practices and trains during the offseason.
"They work really hard; I had to step it up when I got here and get on their level. It was different," he admitted.
Carter was the leading pass catcher in the spring game last April with three catches for 77 yards, including a 54 yarder. He's been West Virginia's most consistent pass-catching option through the first eight practices of camp leading into Saturday night's scrimmage, the initial one of fall camp.
Asked to describe his skillsets, Carter said he's a "big, physical receiver" and "can move better" than people think he can.
"I'm a deep threat," he added.
He said he doesn't care who is throwing him the football – right-handed Garrett Greene or left-handed Nicco Marchiol. He's had both during his five seasons at NC State.
"I had a lef-thanded quarterback the COVID year, Bailey Hockman, so it's not too big of an adjustment," he explained. "There were a couple of years at State when I had multiple quarterbacks, so I kind of feel like that's helped me not worry about who is back there. I feel like, 'Just make your plays.'"
Comparing the ACC to Big 12 football, Carter says Power 5 football is universal.
"You have tough opponents every week, but I feel like it's going to be the same here," he shrugged.
The same, that is, with one exception - he just wants more footballs coming in his direction this season.
West Virginia conducted a light practice on the Steve Antoline Family Practice Field Friday morning ahead of Saturday night's officiated scrimmage inside Milan Puskar Stadium. Coach Neal Brown said earlier this week he is planning on getting at least 50-55 plays for the ones and twos under the lights.
The Mountaineers will have Sunday off and will then repeat their practice schedule next week, although they will break on Wednesday instead of Thursday for the first day of classes for the fall semester.
