Every week this season, Panthers beat writer Steve Reed will relay a casual conversation with a member of the team. This week, it’s wide receiver Drew Carter.
Who was the biggest influence on you getting into football?
“I would probably say my brother. I didn’t play football until my senior year of high school. So there was no Pee Wee or middle school or anything like that. It was more of watching my brother play. I was a soccer, track and basketball guy. I can remember watching my brother’s football games and it looked like fun, but I just never had the desire to play. And then my high school coach would always ask me, ‘Have you ever thought about it?’ And then the summer of my senior year I talked to my father and he was like, ‘Maybe you should give it a shot.’ And I was I like, ‘yeah, maybe.’ After that, you know...”
You started lighting it up?
“Yeah, kind of. My last few weeks of my senior year there was this flood of colleges that started coming (to my games). And I was like, ‘Is this for real? Do I really want to do this?’ My Dad was like, ‘Do you really want to play football (in college)?’ and I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’ Then Ohio State offered me a scholarship and I decided to give it a shot.”
You didn’t play a lot at Ohio State. In fact you only had one touchdown catch in your career. With not having played much in high school do you feel like you’re still pretty raw?
“Oh yeah. I definitely have a lot to learn. I learn something new every day out there. It’s a learning process and I’m learning different techniques from players and coaches all of the time. It’s non-stop.”