For Devin Carter it came down to opportunity.
Carter spent five seasons at North Carolina State where he hauled in over 1,900 receiving yards in the process and at first believed his college career was over in December.
But given the fact he redshirted during his first season, the experienced wide receiver still had one year of eligibility remaining.
So after talking with some representatives, he realized that it would likely be in his best interest to explore a possible transfer to raise his profile on the field and perhaps even benefit away from it.
“He opened my eyes to transfer and get some NIL,” he said. “I’ll make the most of it.”
That’s exactly what the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, needs to do as he needs to show that he is capable of more production while flashing more speed and overall consistency. Despite piling up all of those yards during his time in Raleigh, Carter never had more than 557 in a single season.
Carter initially committed to Penn State to showcase he was ready to take the next step, but West Virginia never quit in their pursuit. That would eventually pay off for the graduate transfer although ironically he is going to begin this season in Happy Valley afterall.
Considering the fact that the Mountaineers lost so much production it made for a natural fit for Carter and that initially piqued his interest. But it was his connection with former wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton who helped to provide insight on the strength and conditioning program, the coaches and how it is on campus that truly helped to seal the deal.
In terms of actual production, the wide receiver room lost 179 catches, 2,126 yards and 17 touchdowns which is 85-percent of the total catches, 87-percent of the yards and 89-percent of the scores at the position last year leaving some massive opportunities behind.
Carter realized that both volume and in turn production were there for the taking.
“I definitely had other offers. The whole receiver room kind of left so I felt like this was the best option for me,” the transfer wide receiver said.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Carter whose grandparents are from Princeton and his mom was born in the Welch area. His grandfather was even a coal miner so there is familiarity with the area prior to his mother, who graduated from West Virginia State, was relocated to North Carolina for work.
Given his size, Carter plays the game with a physical element and that helps him against much smaller defensive backs. It’s something he embraces at all levels of the field and realizes that he is going to have to take those steps for the West Virginia offense to realize its potential.
Carter doesn’t believe that there will be a major adjustment in terms of what he’s asked to do because quite simply football is football. But when he gets the ball in his hands he must showcase what he can do in a way that he hasn’t been able to up until this point of his career.
“I'm a big physical receiver, I can move better than a lot of people think and I’m a deep threat,” he said.
And if all goes well, this year in Morgantown will be the perfect stepping stone for Carter onto the NFL.
“It’s quiet out there,” he said.
West Virginia is hoping his play on the field will be anything but.
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