Devan Carter Commits to Rutgers

Brighton High School (Rochester, NY) running back Devan Carter verbally committed to Rutgers on Monday, becoming the 22nd member of the Knight's 2013 recruiting class. He had previously been committed to Syracuse, and he switched his commitment after making an official visit to the Piscataway this past weekend. Current Rutgers linebacker and fellow Rochester native Quentin Gause is a friend of his, and he helped sway his decision. Carter ran for 1440 yards and 14 TDs as a junior with the Barons.

Measurables: 6'3'' 230 pounds 4.54 40 yard dash

Stars:

Rivals	ESPN	Scout	247
2 Star ILB	3 stars, #127 OLB, #6 in NY	2 Star OLB	2 stars, #78 ILB, #17 in NY

Offer Sheet: Syracuse was the only other school to offer him a scholarship. Buffalo, UConn and UMass showed some interest in him.

Injury: Carter suffered a spiral fracture to his fibula and missed most of last season.

Scouting Report: Carter is a very big and strong back with plenty of speed and athleticism. As a ball carrier, he displays very good balance, speed in the open field, and is very tough to bring down, but he is pretty raw overall. Playing against a very low level of competition in upstate New York, he has not really been challenged, and thus he has just been able to rely purely on his size, strength and speed. He runs very high, leaving himself susceptible to being hit, and he has not had to develop the necessary vision or patience a running back needs. He was recruited by Syracuse as a linebacker, and the feeling is he will out grow tailback. A move to defense or fullback is in the cards for him at the college level.

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My Take: Carter's blend of size, strength and athleticism makes him an interesting developmental player at linebacker or fullback (which is the position I think he belong at). If he can pick up blocking, I think he could be a future starter at fullback, capable of being a threat out of the backfield as a runner and receiver. Rutgers' depth at the position was a problem last year, and although he would ideally redshirt next season, he gives them another body at the position for 2013. Poaching a recruit from Syracuse is always fun too, especially when their fans overreact and bring up their Rutgers conspiracy theories.