Could Last Chance U’s Kam Carter be the next Aaron Donald for Pitt?
By Phil Poling
Last Chance U’s Kam Carter is the biggest question mark for Pitt football entering the 2017 season, but could he grow to be the next Aaron Donald?
If you haven’t watched Season 2 of the Netflix documentary ‘Last Chance U’ yet, you’re probably asking yourself, “Who is Kam Carter?” Get acquainted with him now though, as you’ll most-likely be hearing his name during the 2017 season.
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Carter played for East Mississippi C.C. in 2016, following his redshirt freshman year at Penn State the year prior. He was dismissed from the Nittany Lions’ program after a violation of team rules, but got another opportunity to play football under head coach Buddy Stephens at EMCC. Carter made waves of impressions while at the Mississippi junior college.
First off, he and another former Division 1 player were deemed roommates for the year. There were similarities, both coming from bigger programs and playing along the defensive front, but coaches believed pairing the two off the field would be beneficial for all parties involved.
Secondly, Carter is a dominating presence on the field – when he puts his mind to it. Against Mississippi Gulf Coast, Carter tallied eight tackles (seven solo), two tackles for loss and an interception. Impressed, his position coach voiced high praise.
"“He had a great game. He had a SEC-caliber defensive lineman game.” – Davern Williams | Defensive Line Coach, East Mississippi C.C. on ‘Last Chance U’ Season 2"
Now, Aaron Donald never played in the SEC, but he still terrorized offensive lines. Before becoming the NFL’s best interior defensive lineman, Donald played four years at Pitt (2010-2013). His 11 sacks as a sophomore put him on the map, but it was his senior campaign that stapled his name among the nation’s elite. As a senior in 2013, Donald racked up the accolades.
- Consensus All-American
- ACC Defensive Player of the Year
- Bronko Nagurski Award winner
- Chuck Bednarik Award winner
- John Outland Trophy recipient
- Vince Lombardi Award winner
Donald wasn’t blessed with the same size Carter possesses, though. While at Pitt, Donald was listed at 6-foot, 295 pounds. During Carter’s lone year at EMCC, they listed him at 6-foot-5, 310 pounds. While his size is an obvious trait, Carter maintains a plethora of tools to work with.
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While in high school, he displayed an unmatched versatility for a kid his size. He spoke about playing linebacker, kicker, punter and even quarterback, along with his usual defensive line duties. After all, Carter was one of the top athletes from Maryland upon graduating high school, earning scholarship offers from Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska and Temple – among others.
Whether Pitt uses Carter as a space-eater in the middle of their defense or as a strong-side end, he’ll impact the game in multiple facets.
Fast-forward to the 16-second mark in the video below. Carter is playing defensive tackle, but recognizes the quarterback dropping back to pass and staring in his direction. He’s essentially spying the quarterback at this point, and as the wide receiver comes across the middle, Carter sticks his big paws up and plucks the ball from the air, intercepting the pass.
If you watched the full video above, you noticed Carter’s ability to penetrate and get in the backfield as well, another similarity he shares with the former Pitt standout.
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As a junior, Donald was the best in the Big East at wreaking havoc behind the line of scrimmage with 18 tackles for loss. Improving on that number as a senior, his 28 TFLs were the most in the entire country. If the Pitt coaching staff has any sense at all, they’ll be feeding Carter tape of Donald for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
One thing fans of the Netflix series have complained about is Carter’s character. The series paints a picture of Carter dealing with character issues of all sorts, but they don’t mention everything.
Maybe the greatest quote to arise from Season 2 of ‘Last Chance U’ is this one from Carter. While discussing injuries and being able to play through pain, Carter calmly states to his teammates, “You can’t make the club in the tub.”