Anthony Carter Jr. takes offseason work into second career start
Anthony Carter Jr. has played three positions during his NC State career. The redshirt-sophomore offensive lineman started out at right tackle, moved to the interior and then found a home at left guard this fall.
He completely bought into the Wolfpack program, worked hard for three years, and he will make his second career start Thursday. Carter will play left guard against UConn.
Over the past few years, the lineman fell in love with the process and, thanks to a consistent routine and some guidance from his teammates, he is ready to step into the spotlight this week.
“Everybody’s got their own path,” Carter said. “You’ve just got to trust in God and believe that everything’s going to fall in line.”
This will be his second-consecutive start after playing in last year’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl. His debut in the starting lineup was also a homecoming for the Matthews (NC) Butler High alumnus.
His most significant takeaway from that game? It’s ok to breathe.
“Relax, trust yourself, trust the training that you’ve been through,” Carter said. “You’re in there for a reason. They’re not going to put you out there if they don’t trust you.”
He believes the experience he gained in the 2022 season finale helped slow the game down.
Veteran NC State linemen Dylan McMahon and Timothy McKay are important mentors for Carter. The redshirt-sophomore said he watched them closely as he developed over the past few years and implemented some their routines into his own preparation.
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Carter spent some extra time with McKay after scheduled training this summer.
“Every day we would come back after workouts, just doing mobility, flexibility, stuff like that, watching film, so it just clicked,” Carter said.
He spent the offseason preparing for a potentially expanded role, while also adjusting to his offensive line coach, Garett Tujague, and learning a new offense. Carter explained what he likes about the Wolfpack assistant.
“Coach Tujague is great,” Carter said. “He’s a player’s coach, he makes the meeting room fun, he opens the room up for any question you’ve got and he brings the energy level.”
Offensively, Carter is optimistic about the Pack’s skill position players and looks forward to seeing the unit develop this fall.
“I think that we’ve got a lot of explosive guys that can make plays, and I think that’ll be something to definitely look out for,” Carter said.
“Once we start clicking and everything, I think we can be great.”
