Irish bolster secondary with Carter transfer

Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff WriterMay 13, 2023, 07:03 PM ET
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- ESPN staff writer
- Joined ESPN in 2011
- Graduated from Central Michigan

Notre Dame added a late addition to its secondary when Rhode Island defensive back transfer Antonio Carter announced he’ll play for the Irish in 2023.

Carter is a redshirt junior who entered the transfer portal during the spring window and saw his recruitment take off. He had offers from LSU, Florida, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Texas A&M and others, but ultimately felt as though Notre Dame gave him the best opportunity.

He was seventh in ESPN’s transfer portal rankings.

“What stood out about Notre Dame the most was the fact that it’s a great quality school,” Carter said. “Just being on campus, me and my parents saw that it’s a quality school. Being on campus, it’s a very chill environment and it’s what I need and what I’m looking for.

“A place, I can lock in and not worry about other things that don’t matter.”

Carter wasn’t a highly recruited prospect out of high school as a 5-foot-10, 155-pound corner from Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Florida. He had some FCS scholarship offers, and schools such as Georgia State and Liberty showed interest, but never offered.

He chose Rhode Island and developed into an excellent defender. As a redshirt freshman in 2021, Carter played in 11 games and had 52 tackles, one sack and seven pass breakups. He started 11 games this past season and had 60 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one interception and 10 pass breakups.

With his development showing on the field and his production on the rise, Carter bet on himself and entered the transfer portal for an opportunity to play on a bigger stage. He and his parents discussed the idea of transferring after the season, but he waited through spring practices to see if it was what he wanted to do. He spoke to the Rhode Island coaches during the spring transfer window and they told him if it didn’t work out, he’d still have a spot on the roster.

Betting on himself paid off as he saw interest from major programs soon after he entered the portal.

“I didn’t know how it would go when I entered. You have people telling you that it’s going to be crazy, but I took it all with a grain of salt,” Carter said. “I didn’t know what to expect, because the people saying that weren’t the coaches. So, I just said we’re going to see and trust in God and it actually did work out that way.”

Now that he’s committed to play for Notre Dame, he will be a big help to a secondary that is returning quite a bit at cornerback but still needed another piece in the back end. Carter has the versatility to play a number of roles within the defense and will be somewhat of a Swiss Army knife next season for the Irish.

“The coaches see me fitting in and being a versatile tool as a defensive back,” Carter said. “Playing all the positions, safety, nickel, dime. They have some big corners, so all those spots is where I’ll fit in.”