Football Profile: Duron Carter: Like father, like son for Carters: top WR to join Ohio State

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM MARTINEZ AND THOMAS STUDIOS Ohio State football recruit Duron Carter, a wide receiver from St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on the sidelines with his father, former Buckeye Cris Carter.

Carter, son of former OSU All-American and NFL star Cris Carter, became the 18th pledge of the 2009 recruiting class on July 4, turning down scholarship offers from Louisiana State University, Auburn and Wisconsin, as well as many other schools.

"I felt very comfortable with the coaching staff," Carter said. "I like the way that Ohio State as a whole and the city of Columbus treats their players on and off the field and I felt like it was the right place for me."

Many recruitniks had Duron Carter as one of the top receiver prospects in the country. Rivals.com had him ranked 11th best in the nation while Scouts, Inc./ESPN.com had him ranked as the 10th best wide receiver overall.

At 6 feet, 3 inches tall and 185 pounds, with long arms and huge hands, Carter has a big advantage against smaller cornerbacks. Throw in his break-away speed and his ability to make the tough catch, and OSU fans could be seeing another All-American with the last name Carter.

"He has excellent range," said coach Jim Tressel at his signing day press conference. "He's got great speed, he's gotten bigger and stronger and he's got the kind of range his dad did."

Carter shows outstanding eye-hand coordination and can maneuver his body into position to make the big plays downfield. This will make him a serious deep threat for OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

Carter is excited about the possibility of a Pryor-to-Carter connection and says having that great an athlete in the backfield will make him a better football player.

"Having one of those quarterbacks is definitely nice for a receiver knowing that he can get you the ball and make you look good," he said.

One attribute that sets Carter aside from the other wide receivers in this recruiting class is his ability to make blocks downfield.

Steve Helwagen, managing editor for Bucknuts Media Network, says he is a very physical football player who can assist in blocking for the running backs, which will be very important for Carter to see the field early.

He prides himself so much on his run blocking that his high school scouting videos showed much more than just big catches. Some of his best plays in high school were punishing blocks that led to big gains in yardage.

"On his highlight film that he made on his own, there were as many blocks as there were catches. He's not afraid of a little contact," Tressel said.

With wide receivers Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline leaving for the NFL Draft, the two starting spots are up for grabs.

Many expect the split-end position will go to sophomore DeVier Posey (11 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown) with senior Ray Small (18 catches for 149 yards) lining up on the opposite side. However, Helwagen says Carter could, perhaps, push Posey for significant playing time early as a true freshman.

The talent pool at wide receiver will be deep but inexperienced. Only Posey, Small and junior Dane Sanzenbacher, who had 21 catches for 272 yards and a touchdown a year ago, received quality playing time last season.

The lack of experience will only drive the youngsters like Duron Carter to compete at a high level at a chance of seeing the field early in the season.

It happened with Posey last season and it could happen with Carter in 2009.