Free Article...
http://syracuse.At their request, this network is being blocked from this site./story/1507873-kenny-carter-commits-to-syracuse?s=185
Syracuse adds their second commitment of the night on Friday as Kenny Carter pulls the trigger.
Less than three hours after landing Jake Pickard, Syracuse added another New Jersey defensive lineman in Kenny Carter out of Plainfield High School. Carter also had an offer from Temple.
Carter officially visited Syracuse the weekend of January 23rd and loved everything about his on campus trip. A few days later, with signing day right around the corner, he
committed to the Orange, per a source.
”The first thing he said was ‘I don’t want to leave,’” Plainfield head coach Jason Glezman said after the visit. “He really did enjoy his visit. Coach Shafer and the whole program there, one thing they really try to show you is the genuine family atmosphere they have there. It was very evident throughout his visit the level of comfort that Kenny felt being around the coaches, the players and the facilities. That was one of the biggest things for him was feeling comfortable around these people.
”The facilities there speak for themselves. We went to the basketball game and I told him there were 30,000 people there. He’s like, ‘there were 30,000 people there?’ So I told him, ‘yeah man and there’s 50,000 when there are football games, so it’s crazy.’ The new practice facility they have, he kind of got googly eyed when he saw that. He loved it. He loved every second of it.
Carter is listed at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. He will come to Syracuse as an athlete who could play either defensive line position. His bigger upside may be at defensive tackle, but he has the versatility to play end as well.
He is Syracuse's fourth commitment out of New Jersey, joining the aforementioned Pickard, Dontae Strickland and Daivon Ellison. He is Syracuse's 26th pledge in the 2015 class.
”Before the play starts, he’s 6-foot-3, 6-4, 250-pounds,” Glezman said. “He’s got a wingspan I can’t even measure. He’s got size 18 shoes. You look at him right off the bat and physically he’s got all of the tools. When the play happens, you talk about quick twitch at the line of scrimmage guy, he’s so quick off the line and he can penetrate gaps so quickly.
”He uses his speed and athleticism to his advantage. It’s remarkable what he can do there. He’s disruptive. Whether he’s a two, a three, a four guy, wherever he is on the d-line, he’s disruptive. He uses his size to his advantage and that’s what you see on film. He’s just going to get better as he gets older and matures into his body.”
Update to the FREE article with some great quotes from mom
Less than three hours after landing Jake Pickard, Syracuse added another New Jersey defensive lineman in Kenny Carter out of Plainfield High School. Carter also had an offer from Temple.
Carter officially visited Syracuse the weekend of January 23rd and loved everything about his on campus trip. A few days later, with signing day right around the corner, he committed to the Orange.
”The first thing he said was ‘I don’t want to leave,’” Plainfield head coach Jason Glezman said after the visit. “He really did enjoy his visit. Coach Shafer and the whole program there, one thing they really try to show you is the genuine family atmosphere they have there. It was very evident throughout his visit the level of comfort that Kenny felt being around the coaches, the players and the facilities. That was one of the biggest things for him was feeling comfortable around these people.
”The facilities there speak for themselves. We went to the basketball game and I told him there were 30,000 people there. He’s like, ‘there were 30,000 people there?’ So I told him, ‘yeah man and there’s 50,000 when there are football games, so it’s crazy.’ The new practice facility they have, he kind of got googly eyed when he saw that. He loved it. He loved every second of it."
But Carter ending up at Syracuse was not a sure thing. As is always the case in recruiting, the situation was fluid. But as the past few days progressed, patience paid off for the talented defensive lineman.
”We went up on the official visit last week,” Glezman said. “I thought it went really well from Kenny’s end. I thought he did very well. I thought he spoke very well and the coaches were impressed with him. They told us they had to wait and see on a couple other guys. We were patient with that. Kenny had a couple other things in the works.
"We weren’t sure if Central Florida was going to have him come down for a visit or not. Today kind of unfolded and they were waiting on a couple other kids. Coach Acosta called about an hour ago (7:30pm) and said they wanted to offer Kenny. Kenny loved it there. He was so ready to say yes.”
When the news came that there was a spot for him at Syracuse, Carter's reaction was one of pure joy.
”He just had a gigantic smile,” Glezman said. “He was a little stressed out during the week. This is his future and he wanted it to work out. I kept telling him to be patient. Then everything happened today and he just had a big smile on his face. He really feels at home there.”
The news was not only positive for Carter, but for his family and the Plainfield community as well.
”It means a lot,” Glezman said. “He has a mother, a couple brothers and sisters in the picture. I met with his mom earlier today and she was like, ‘it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen. I know it’s going to happen.’ She thought things were going to work out. She gets really emotional about it because she’s excited to see him get out of Plainfield.
"I think I’ve said this before, Plainfield is not the best place in the world to grow up. To have an opportunity to get out of Plainfield, it means a lot. Not only to Kenny and not only to his mom, but everyone in the community is really happy.”
Carter is listed at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. He will come to Syracuse as an athlete who could play either defensive line position. His bigger upside may be at defensive tackle, but he has the versatility to play end as well.
”Before the play starts, he’s 6-foot-3, 6-4, 250-pounds,” Glezman said. “He’s got a wingspan I can’t even measure. He’s got size 18 shoes. You look at him right off the bat and physically he’s got all of the tools. When the play happens, you talk about quick twitch at the line of scrimmage guy, he’s so quick off the line and he can penetrate gaps so quickly.
”He uses his speed and athleticism to his advantage. It’s remarkable what he can do there. He’s disruptive. Whether he’s a two, a three, a four guy, wherever he is on the d-line, he’s disruptive. He uses his size to his advantage and that’s what you see on film. He’s just going to get better as he gets older and matures into his body.”
He is Syracuse's fourth commitment out of New Jersey, joining the aforementioned Pickard, Dontae Strickland and Daivon Ellison. He is Syracuse's 26th pledge in the 2015 class.