Interview: 4-Star 2022 Memphis QB Tevin Carter Updates 4-Game Season and Recruiting

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

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2020 has been an odd year for most all, especially for high school football players. Some players have put in a normal full season’s worth of activity while others have played a partial schedule, and there are those still waiting to play come next year. For Class of 2022 four-star quarterback Tevin Carter, it has been one viewed as a blessing just being able to do what he loves most. As a homeschooled student, Carter was able to play in four games with a makeshift squad, Pure Youth. The action got Carter and his teammates back into pads allowing for game reps to keep the progression of skills moving forward.

In an RNG update interview, Carter visited the Lab again covering ground on the four games, his offseason workouts, and recruiting.

Interview

Tevin, before we start talking about your skills in the pocket, if you will, update us on what’s going on in the Memphis area with the football season?

Our superintendent shutdown everything because of the virus, cases were going up. My coach and I, Melvin Cole, we put a team together called Pure Youth. It is a collection of homeschooled players. We made our own team so we could play.

Impressive that you guys were able to put together a whole team. Have you played yet?

Yes, sir.

How have the games gone?

In our first game, we lost to Christian Brothers 52-18. It was fun though. I was just happy to be out there.

How many games have you guys been able to play?

We had a chance to play four games, then teams were going into the playoffs. Our season is over.

At least you got to play.

Yes, sir.

How is your knee feeling? How did it hold up in the games?

It was great actually. It was to a point where I did not have to play in a brace, but still did because my mom made me. There was no pain or nothing. Thank God.

What have you been working on with the small details to your game this offseason?

I have been working on playing faster and making my reads quicker. They are quick reads but to play in the pros they have to be quicker. I am still working on my footwork. I keep working that.

From last season, through the four-game season to now, where are you seeing the improvements in your skills?

My arm strength, I am seeing stuff faster, making better checks, and I am seeing it before it happens. A big thing is I have improved on my film study. From my film study, I was seeing stuff, for example, on a third down play knowing where the linebacker would be. I would tell my running back go into the flat because the linebacker was blitzing. From the season, I was seeing everything much quicker than I used to.

What have you been doing to increase your overall strength and speed?

My speed, I do change of direction drills, I squat down slow but come up fast, and hamstring work. I am also doing sand work to help my speed.

How have you worked to expand your football IQ during the offseason?

I watched a lot of football before, but now I watch a whole lot. I am watching older stuff too to pick up on plays and defensives, new stuff too to pick up on that. From watching film, I am learning from different people and putting it to use. Peyton Manning, he watched a lot of film. I have school, can’t watch film for as long as he did, but I do watch hours of film and take notes just like him.

Nice. Are there any camps you’ve been to recently or any upcoming camps you may attend?

I will start doing some 7v7 soon. I can’t go to camps because of the virus. Any big camps in this area, I will go to during the spring or summer time and to the college camps this summer.

Let’s talk about colleges. Which schools are showing interest?

I have talked to Coach Moorhead (OC) from Oregon, and Florida, West Virginia, Michigan State, North Carolina, and Arizona State are all showing interest.

How many offers do you have now?

Seventeen.

Which programs were the last few to offer you?

Maryland, Tennessee State, and Tennessee-Martin.

Carter’s Offer Sheet: Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Eastern Kentucky, Florida State, LSU, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee State, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt

When visits start going again next year, which schools might you go see?

North Carolina, I want to meet Mack Brown, Florida, Alabama, Maryland, (Texas) A&M, and I’d like to shoot back to Tennessee. I need to look at Liberty too.

As a corner is about to be turned from the 2021 class to the 2022 class, and as you look deeper at programs and universities, what is most important to you in the process as you begin to narrow down your options?

The program that will have me best prepared for the league. Most people don’t care, but I do care about the strength coach and conditioning coach and the dorms. I got to sleep in some good-looking dorms.

There is an extra intensity with recruiting on quarterbacks. Have you started thinking about a commitment date yet?

Yes. I will probably commit around this time next year, or maybe in October.

Tevin, it was great catching up with you today. Keep up the hard work this offseason.

Yes, sir. Thank you.

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Photo credit: Carter family; Tevin Carter