Coach Talk: WVU commit Carr "plays football the way it should be played”

Versatile and violent.

Those are the best two words that sum up West Virginia commitment Lanell Carr as a player according to De Smet Jesuit High School (Mo.) head football coach Robert Steeples.

Carr, who announced his commitment to the Mountaineers on June 16, is an instinctive player with a special skill set that allows him to play and excel at different spots on the defensive side of the ball.

“He has loose hips and can change direction very smoothly,” Steeples said. “You can put him at that (linebacker) spot and drop him, but also he's extremely instinctive to come in off the edge. He's good with his hands. He knows how to set up his moves and that's just something you can't coach is that instinct.”

And to top it off, Carr’s high motor mixed in with his skill set and versatility make him a force to be reckoned with.

“He likes to punish people. He enjoys it,” Steeples said. “He plays football the way it should be played.”

Steeples, who attended De Smet and played three years in the NFL mostly with the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings as a defensive back, is now entering his fourth season with the school.

Carr’s class was Steeples’s first as the school’s head coach but it was during a freshman football game when Steeples first noticed Carr’s presence on the gridiron. During this time, Carr was playing running back.

“I remember him running a kid over and getting up (and) beating his chest,” Steeples said. “We're not a big rah-rah group, but you know, (he) ran a kid over and just jumped up and loved it and I was just like, ‘alright, that's the type of kids we want here.’ Kids that crave that type of competition and physicality, but also seeing them celebrate with his teammates.”

Since then, Steeples has not only seen Carr improve and develop but he has done so steadily and with a purpose through hard work, responsibility and attention to detail in the weight room and other sports such as basketball.

“What gave me a lot of confidence in Lanell was he that he consistently improved. It let me know that he hadn’t peaked and so I was like when you’re that tall and you keep getting that much stronger and that much more athletic, it really let me know he can do it,” Steeples said.

“He has an intentional level of development. It’s not just like, ‘Let me go run sprints and lift weights and see what happens.’ It’s like, ‘Alright I gotta work on my long arm,’ or ‘I need to work on my hip flips and my back pedal,’ or ‘I need to catch more footballs,’ and so when I saw his intentional efforts to develop and his parents helped him out with that a little as well. They let me know that hey the sky’s the limit for this kid because he’s accepted the challenge of consistent improvement on an intentional level.”

As a sophomore, Carr showed flashes and colleges were keeping a close eye on him, but he lacked a consistent motor according to Steeples--something he challenged Carr to execute and utilize every play heading into his junior season.

Carr managed to put it all together and made his presence known to opposing offenses throughout his junior season thanks to his size and athleticism combined with his instincts, hardwork and intentional development.

According to Steeples, Carr had a streak of games last season where he proved to be the best defender on the field and was impressed with one particular game against Rock Bridge High School in week two of the season.

Carr didn’t exactly have the best stats in this particular game, but what stood out to Steeples is that he did his job and showed maturity by not being worried about racking up all the sacks, tackles and/or tackles for loss.

“He held the edge, he played the run the way it was supposed to be played, he got pressure on the quarterback and he just made his presence felt the whole game,” Steeples said.

“That game just let me know that’s a fierce competitor. As the fourth quarter came, he just got better. I think that’s the awesome thing with (Lanell). He starts fast but in the third and fourth quarters, you’re going to get some of his best performances because he just keeps going.”

Things got busy for Carr on the recruiting trail following his junior season as coaches took more notice of not only his hardwork and character and but also with how active he was with his hands on the field, versatility and fundamentally sound play.

“Come winter and spring of his junior year, we probably had 120 colleges come through,” Steeples said. “It was a busy time. The spring period we had 120 in 25 days and there wasn’t a person that came through that didn’t know who Lanell Carr was. The most awesome part was as he got to start taking on campus visits, they really loved his personality and just how genuine of a kid he was.”

As Carr went through the recruiting process, Steeples offered him some advice such as staying on top of his academics and building his character--both of which he continues to do.

But another key piece of advice centered around Carr’s openness. Steeples asks his players every year during exit interviews about their dream schools as well as their college aspirations, but Carr was one who didn’t have any particular dream school in mind.

“The main advice I gave him was love those that love you and then I told him that there’s no perfect fit,” Steeples said. “At the end of the day, what you need to evaluate is does the school have the resources that I want and do they believe in me enough to give me a chance to use those resources? Everything else, you have to make up the gap.”

Carr’s recruitment eventually led him to choosing Country Roads and the West Virginia Mountaineers after taking an official visit to Morgantown from June 14-16.

West Virginia beat out Kansas State, Georgia Tech and numerous others en route to landing Carr but how the program was able to secure his commitment aligned with what recruits have praised regarding the new coaching staff led by head coach Neal Brown.

“He took the official and they laid out a very specific plan for him not just as an athlete but as a student as well and I think he found confidence in that as far as ‘hey here’s a plan for you to succeed on and off the field,’” Steeples said. “I know he wanted to have it behind him before the season started so it feels good to have a home and it’s a blessing at the same time to have that opportunity.”

Carr currently plays both ways as a defensive end and tight end, takes his conditioning very seriously and has gained some healthy weight, according to Steeples.

However, Carr will be focusing on the defensive side of the ball in Morgantown and could play either defensive end or the BANDIT position, a hybrid between a defensive end and linebacker.

“I think he’s just now getting started and tapping into that potential, but I think he fits very well just because of the style of play in that conference. The Big 12 is a conference that operates in space and Lanell is a player that excels in that,” Steeples said. “I think he’s too athletic to not be a (linebacker), but he’s too instinctive to not let him rush off the edge.”

Heading into his senior season, Steeples is looking for Carr to take on more of a leadership role as well as continue to make his presence known each play.

If he keeps this up, Carr looks to have a very bright future in Morgantown.

“He’s got a very high ceiling,” Steeples said. “I don’t think they’ve seen the best in Lanell Carr just yet.”

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