The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Safety Carter Another Newcomer Making An Early Impact
10/8/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Steve Irvine
uabsports.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Desman Carter's second chance at playing Football Bowl Subdivision football came courtesy of the UAB coaching staff. It also came complete with plenty of anxious moments.
Carter originally signed with the University of Nevada after graduating from Kaiser High School in Fontana, California. He spent a redshirt season at Nevada before choosing to return to Southern California at the end of the 2011 fall semester. He enrolled at Riverside Community College but didn't play until the 2013 season.
He had success in junior college, contributing 39 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and two pass breakups last season. He also had an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown and helped RCC win the Southern California Football Association title. What he didn't do was attract a lot of FBS attention.
"During the season, when I was playing, I always felt like I was going to get an offer somewhere," Carter said. "At the end of my sophomore season, I really wasn't getting any phone calls. I felt like I was going nowhere."
A week before National Signing Day, he got a call from a member of the UAB coaching staff. The call came on a Wednesday. He got another call on Thursday, was on a plane headed to Birmingham for an official visit on Friday and committed to UAB head coach Bill Clark on Saturday night. The following Wednesday, he signed a National Letter of Intent at UAB.
"What really got me to come here was the coaching and how they are all about family," Carter said. "I feel comfortable with that. They are not just here for business but they're here to start a family and build the program up."
Traveling across country to play college football wasn't a shock for Carter. He lived in Alabama and Georgia for two years in middle school and has family in Mississippi. But it was still an adjustment when he arrived in June. And the adjustment continued into fall camp for the 6-foot-2, 201-pound Carter.
Carter fell behind several players on the safety depth chart while fellow junior college transfer Bobby Baker moved into a starting role.
"We ask a lot of our safeties - he's got to play man, he's got to play deep, he's got to play quarters, he's got to play two," said UAB head coach Bill Clark. "He's got all these responsibilities. He's got to be a great tackler. He looks like a safety should look. That guy has to play against big running backs, play against big receivers. That's where we need to head. Bobby Baker may have assimilated a little bit quicker but Desman, now he's getting there."
Carter played in the secondary during the first four games but not in a full-time role. He also was a regular on special teams. Last week, however, his role changed. Carter joined the starting lineup last week during the Blazers' 42-39 victory at Western Kentucky. It was a difficult initial starting assignment, coming against one of the most prolific offenses in the country. Clark said he felt Carter was prepared and, with Baker out for the season with an injury, the Blazers needed him.
"We try to make practice really hard," Clark said. "Obviously, we can't simulate them but going against our offense is pretty similar. He was getting close and the guys in front of him were kind of keeping him off the field. But it was one of those things we just couldn't keep him off any longer." Carter played well, finishing with five tackles and being selected as the team's Safety of the Week by the coaching staff.
"I was excited the whole week because this was my opportunity," Carter said. "I've been wanting to get on the field and play. I accepted the challenge."
