Antonio Carter commits to Notre Dame over Florida, LSU, others

Antonio Carter heard from a plethora of schools spanning from Utah State to West Virginia and plenty of places in between upon entering the transfer portal on April 16. Texas A&M, Iowa, Washington, Wisconsin, Ole Miss. The list went on. There was a prominent program missing for weeks, though.

Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish entered the fray in early May. They offered Carter a scholarship on May 5. Eight days later, he committed to head coach Marcus Freeman and company. In doing so, he canceled visits to Florida — the Orlando native’s “dream school” — and LSU. In just a few hours in South Bend, the former Rhode Island safety had already seen everything he needed to see. He was struck by a different feeling than the ones that hit him on prior visits to Madison, Wisc., and Oxford, Miss.

“When they came, they acted fast,” Carter said of Notre Dame coaches’ involvement in his recruitment. “I talked to them. It went well. I got on FaceTime with coach Freeman. He said he wanted to get me up on a visit. I was like, “All right. It’s Notre Dame.'”

It was always Notre Dame. Even when it wasn’t.

“When I got here, it was better than I ever thought,” Carter said.

Carter is a fan of Notre Dame’s modest enrollment. He doesn’t want to be distracted by things — or people — that can deter him from becoming a better football player. There isn’t a whole lot to South Bend other than the university and the special few who make it what it is, and he likes that.

“Originally, watching games growing up as a kid, I thought there were way more students here,” Carter said. “There really aren’t that many students. It’s made me like it even more. The facilities and the campus, it’s a chill type of vibe. That’s really what I’m looking for; somewhere I can go in and lock in and not really worry about anything else.

“As a college kid, I’ve already had my fun. This is a business decision for me.”

It’s a business decision for Notre Dame, too.

The Irish were in need of some help at safety. Carter has college playing experience, albeit at the FCS level, which is more than currently-injured freshmen Ben Minich and Adon Shuler can say. That duo is the future at safety for Notre Dame, but the Irish need to also be concerned about the present. DJ Brown, Xavier Watts and Ramon Henderson were really all position coach Chris O’Leary had to work with from a been there, done that perspective.

Now O’Leary has Carter, a player who started 21 of his 22 appearances in the last two seasons and recorded 112 total tackles in that span. He also had 17 pass breakups in the last two campaigns. Notre Dame had 24 as a team in 2022, which ranked tied for 129th among 131 FBS teams. Carter could instantly have the best ball-hawking skills of any Notre Dame safety upon arrival. It’ll be about translating it to a higher level of competition.

Carter said he’s a man of faith, so he fits right in at Notre Dame. He also has already established relationships with Freeman, O’Leary and defensive coordinator Al Golden. He said he has trust in those three core coaches to develop him as a player in his two remaining years of eligibility.

In the middle of his interview with BlueandGold.com, Carter was briefly pulled aside by a Notre Dame staffer so he could meet defensive end Nana Osafo-Mensah. He came back to the phone audibly chipper and clearly satisfied by his brief exchange with the graduate student DE. He said there were countless moments that mirrored that one throughout his visit.

It took a few weeks for Notre Dame to track down Carter and become a player in his recruitment. But it took less than one for the Irish to seal the deal. Both parties are better for the outcome.

“I’ll continue to grow not only as a player but as a young man,” Carter said. “That’s something I look forward to.”