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The Kid Can Play
DallasCowboys.com Report
A linebacker at UNC, Carter was primarily an offensive star in high school.
It started in 2008. North Carolina linebacker Bruce Carter, then a sophomore, blocked three punts in the second quarter of a 38-12 victory over Connecticut. With a tipped punt at Miami in the previous game, he'd gotten his hands on four straight. With each blocked punt and hit, the chorus picked up. The kid was making a name for himself: "Bruuuuuuuce."
Even before he reached Havelock High School, Bruce Carter had big shoes to fill. His uncle Richard Carter had been a standout athlete for the Rams - even getting drafted as a pitcher by the Detroit Tigers in 1985 - so football coach Charlie Smith was familiar with the Carter bloodline.
"We knew potentially he was going to be one of those great athletes you get about every 10 years," Smith said.
In high school, Bruce had the one attribute that seems to separate the men from the boys: speed (he has been clocked at 4.39 in the 40-yard dash). Smith developed a simulated spread offense that allowed Carter, at quarterback, to make plays with his feet.
"We ran a lot of sprint option with him, and just put him in the shotgun and let him do his thing. And he was good," Smith said. "Bruce was one of those high school quarterbacks that you love because he could make a positive out of a negative real quick."
The speed Carter brought to the backfield meant he ran much more often than he threw, scoring three times as many touchdowns running (15) as he did passing (5) his senior year. Smith still marvels at a particular performance against Wilmington Ashley during Carter's junior season: "I remember he had about a 94-yard run late in the game that was just phenomenal."
It's interesting that for all the success he had at linebacker in college (43 career starts, second team All-ACC in 2009 and 2010, 215 career tackles), Carter scarcely played defense at all in high school. Smith had a good reason for that.
"We couldn't take a whole lot of chances with him," the coach said.
Without a comparable backup quarterback, Smith couldn't afford to wear Carter out on defense. Bruce did occasionally play safety, well enough in fact to be ranked No. 33 in the country at the position by the website Rivals.com.
"In crucial situations when we had to have the man out there to fly to the ball, we'd use him," Smith said. "But we had to get him off the field sometimes. He was carrying the ball so much and was so important to us offensively."
In that respect, Carter typified a trend in college football. High school coaches want their star athletes to touch the ball as much as possible. When those players reach college, where everyone on the roster was basically the star of his respective team, coaches try to find the best fit. For Carter, it was linebacker.
"Those guys have to be playmakers for you," Smith said of superb high school athletes. "You could put Bruce at any position in high school. He could play defensive end and cause havoc. He could play basically all 11 positions on each side of the ball, but we feel like when you've got limited exceptional athletes, you've got to put them in a position where they can make plays for you and score points."
And so it was fitting that at North Carolina, Carter played on a defense in which every starting linebacker and defensive back was an offensive standout in high school.
Carter was 6-3, 220 when he arrived at Chapel Hill in January 2007, delaying his enrollment by a semester because of a high school knee injury. It was then that he began the adjustment to permanently play on the defensive side of the ball.
"It helped out a lot," Carter said of enrolling seven months prior to training camp. "You kind of get a little grasp of the concepts of what linebacker is, so I think that helped tremendously."
That fall, Carter was one of a handful of players that Tar Heel head coach Butch Davis recognized had to be in the lineup right away. While they may have lacked on-field experience, they had talent and enthusiasm. The kids took their lumps early and finished with a 4-8 record.
But within that season were some smaller victories. Carter blocked a punt in the first game of his career, against James Madison. The ball was recovered on the 1-yard line and set up a touchdown a play later. In that outing, Chase Rice started at outside linebacker, but an ankle injury forced him out of the game - and the season. So Carter got his shot right away.
"I remember Chase getting hurt, and my heart went crazy because I was nervous," Carter said. "I don't even remember my first play at linebacker."
Carter was one of eight true freshmen to see action in that game and went on to form the core of a class that laid a foundation for Davis in the coach's first season. The head coach set the formula: come in and contribute on special teams, make a difference, and you'll find the field.
"When you come in as a freshman, you're not really expected to play right away, so your first thing to try to do is get on special teams," Carter said. "Just being on kickoff, kickoff return, punt pressure, things like that, it helps you out and you gain game experience. Special teams for me was like my defense, so I took it for what it was. I went out there and played hard. From that point, I had success."
Indeed. Those three blocked punts against Connecticut set an ACC record.
"That pretty much showed that this kid can play," Carter said, setting modesty aside for just a moment.
Carter hasn't looked back since. He started seven games for a team in flux in 2007, then became the full-time starter as a sophomore, helping the Tar Heels to two 8-5 seasons and back-to-back bowl appearances. Last fall, he reported to training camp 15 pounds heavier to a squad that would post another 8-5 record and Music City Bowl victory amid the turmoil of an NCAA investigation. Carter started 10 of 12 regular season games before requiring season-ending ACL surgery.
Last August, Davis was asked about recognizing college players' pro potential. In speaking of the process that an aspiring NFL player must go through, he used Carter as an example.
"If you could just count the thousands and thousands of hours that Bruce Carter has put in the weight room," Davis said. "You take a look at his body, the changes that he's made in the last four years of what he looked like in 2007 and what he looks like today. He's earned everything. You never really know until they come in how coachable they are, how quickly do they learn, how hard are they willing to work to make not only their dreams come true, but the team's dreams."
Now a Cowboy, Carter will no doubt bring the same energy and ability to Dallas as he did as a Havelock Ram and a North Carolina Tar Heel. Sometime in the near future, don't be surprised if before long his name echoes throughout Cowboys Stadium: "Bruuuuuuuce."
DallasCowboys.com Report
A linebacker at UNC, Carter was primarily an offensive star in high school.
It started in 2008. North Carolina linebacker Bruce Carter, then a sophomore, blocked three punts in the second quarter of a 38-12 victory over Connecticut. With a tipped punt at Miami in the previous game, he'd gotten his hands on four straight. With each blocked punt and hit, the chorus picked up. The kid was making a name for himself: "Bruuuuuuuce."
Even before he reached Havelock High School, Bruce Carter had big shoes to fill. His uncle Richard Carter had been a standout athlete for the Rams - even getting drafted as a pitcher by the Detroit Tigers in 1985 - so football coach Charlie Smith was familiar with the Carter bloodline.
"We knew potentially he was going to be one of those great athletes you get about every 10 years," Smith said.
In high school, Bruce had the one attribute that seems to separate the men from the boys: speed (he has been clocked at 4.39 in the 40-yard dash). Smith developed a simulated spread offense that allowed Carter, at quarterback, to make plays with his feet.
"We ran a lot of sprint option with him, and just put him in the shotgun and let him do his thing. And he was good," Smith said. "Bruce was one of those high school quarterbacks that you love because he could make a positive out of a negative real quick."
The speed Carter brought to the backfield meant he ran much more often than he threw, scoring three times as many touchdowns running (15) as he did passing (5) his senior year. Smith still marvels at a particular performance against Wilmington Ashley during Carter's junior season: "I remember he had about a 94-yard run late in the game that was just phenomenal."
It's interesting that for all the success he had at linebacker in college (43 career starts, second team All-ACC in 2009 and 2010, 215 career tackles), Carter scarcely played defense at all in high school. Smith had a good reason for that.
"We couldn't take a whole lot of chances with him," the coach said.
Without a comparable backup quarterback, Smith couldn't afford to wear Carter out on defense. Bruce did occasionally play safety, well enough in fact to be ranked No. 33 in the country at the position by the website Rivals.com.
"In crucial situations when we had to have the man out there to fly to the ball, we'd use him," Smith said. "But we had to get him off the field sometimes. He was carrying the ball so much and was so important to us offensively."
In that respect, Carter typified a trend in college football. High school coaches want their star athletes to touch the ball as much as possible. When those players reach college, where everyone on the roster was basically the star of his respective team, coaches try to find the best fit. For Carter, it was linebacker.
"Those guys have to be playmakers for you," Smith said of superb high school athletes. "You could put Bruce at any position in high school. He could play defensive end and cause havoc. He could play basically all 11 positions on each side of the ball, but we feel like when you've got limited exceptional athletes, you've got to put them in a position where they can make plays for you and score points."
And so it was fitting that at North Carolina, Carter played on a defense in which every starting linebacker and defensive back was an offensive standout in high school.
Carter was 6-3, 220 when he arrived at Chapel Hill in January 2007, delaying his enrollment by a semester because of a high school knee injury. It was then that he began the adjustment to permanently play on the defensive side of the ball.
"It helped out a lot," Carter said of enrolling seven months prior to training camp. "You kind of get a little grasp of the concepts of what linebacker is, so I think that helped tremendously."
That fall, Carter was one of a handful of players that Tar Heel head coach Butch Davis recognized had to be in the lineup right away. While they may have lacked on-field experience, they had talent and enthusiasm. The kids took their lumps early and finished with a 4-8 record.
But within that season were some smaller victories. Carter blocked a punt in the first game of his career, against James Madison. The ball was recovered on the 1-yard line and set up a touchdown a play later. In that outing, Chase Rice started at outside linebacker, but an ankle injury forced him out of the game - and the season. So Carter got his shot right away.
"I remember Chase getting hurt, and my heart went crazy because I was nervous," Carter said. "I don't even remember my first play at linebacker."
Carter was one of eight true freshmen to see action in that game and went on to form the core of a class that laid a foundation for Davis in the coach's first season. The head coach set the formula: come in and contribute on special teams, make a difference, and you'll find the field.
"When you come in as a freshman, you're not really expected to play right away, so your first thing to try to do is get on special teams," Carter said. "Just being on kickoff, kickoff return, punt pressure, things like that, it helps you out and you gain game experience. Special teams for me was like my defense, so I took it for what it was. I went out there and played hard. From that point, I had success."
Indeed. Those three blocked punts against Connecticut set an ACC record.
"That pretty much showed that this kid can play," Carter said, setting modesty aside for just a moment.
Carter hasn't looked back since. He started seven games for a team in flux in 2007, then became the full-time starter as a sophomore, helping the Tar Heels to two 8-5 seasons and back-to-back bowl appearances. Last fall, he reported to training camp 15 pounds heavier to a squad that would post another 8-5 record and Music City Bowl victory amid the turmoil of an NCAA investigation. Carter started 10 of 12 regular season games before requiring season-ending ACL surgery.
Last August, Davis was asked about recognizing college players' pro potential. In speaking of the process that an aspiring NFL player must go through, he used Carter as an example.
"If you could just count the thousands and thousands of hours that Bruce Carter has put in the weight room," Davis said. "You take a look at his body, the changes that he's made in the last four years of what he looked like in 2007 and what he looks like today. He's earned everything. You never really know until they come in how coachable they are, how quickly do they learn, how hard are they willing to work to make not only their dreams come true, but the team's dreams."
Now a Cowboy, Carter will no doubt bring the same energy and ability to Dallas as he did as a Havelock Ram and a North Carolina Tar Heel. Sometime in the near future, don't be surprised if before long his name echoes throughout Cowboys Stadium: "Bruuuuuuuce."