With the flurry of transfer portal additions to ASU, eight just in the last seven days, it was perhaps easy to lose sight of some of the Sun Devils’ pledges prior to Kenny Dillingham’s arrival. Yet, an official visit to Arizona State over the weekend for Corona (Calif.) Centennial quarterback Izzy Carter only cemented his decision to stay committed to ASU even when he did not know yet that Kenny Dillingham would assume the helm of the program.
“The visit was good, and I got a good feeling with the new staff,” Carter said. “I talked to coach Dillingham and (offensive coordinator) coach Baldwin, and they told me about their plans for mew for the future. I feel very comfortable with the new staff.”
Carter said that he didn’t feel any apprehension going into an official visit which was going to be an introduction to a group of caches he didn’t know all that well for the most part. Needless to say that he was pleased that his assumption was validated during his weekend trip.
“Before I took my visit, we were on FaceTime talking,” Carter recalled. “They told me that they wanted me. Before I committed, coach Dillingham (prior to being at ASU) was out at my high school watching me practice, and he said how much he loved watching me throw. When we were talking (prior to ASU visit, we were saying how crazy it was for me trying to go to Oregon, and he ended up coming to me. I was supposed to visit Oregon, but I had a 7-on-7 game and couldn’t meet the new head coach.
“So that’s how I took my visit to ASU, and I just loved everything about it, and I committed about a week later.”
Carter got to meet on his visit his future position coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach Beau Baldwin. The signal caller admitted that he enjoyed learning about Baldwin’s philosophy through an extensive film session, where Carter also learned how he would be utilized in the new offensive scheme in Tempe.
“Meeting him and hearing what he had to say was really big for me,” Carter remarked. “Their system is going to use a lot of what coach Dillingham used at Oregon and a lot of what coach Baldwin did at Cal Poly. I really feel comfortable in that system.”
In his senior year with the Huskies, Centennial had a true two-quarterback system where Carter was splitting duties (usually drive-by-drive) with quarterback Carson Conklin. An injury to Conklin near mid-season allowed Carter to lead the team to a 9-3 finish, as he completed 89-148 passes for 1863 yards, 23 touchdowns, and one interception INT passing. Carter also rushed for 592 yards and 11 touchdowns and had 2455 total yards during the 2022 campaign.
“Coach Baldwin loved my film,” Carter stated. “He loves how the ball comes out of my hands; he loves my arm strength. And once he saw my running abilities and how fast I was, he was even more excited. Obviously, the game is evolving around quarterbacks like me, who are more mobile, dual-threat guys; that’s what the game is evolving to. Most of the NFL quarterbacks are guys who can move. And running is the last resort for me. When my boy Carson Conklin got injured, and I was a full-time starter, I showed people all the throws that they didn’t know I could make because when I was in that (two-quarterback) system, we were running. When I was a full time starter, everything slowed down for me.
“So when coach Baldwin looked at me, he thought I was a perfect fit, who can bring a lot to the table with my versatility. When I’m back there, people have to be worried about my ability to throw the ball and run it too. I enjoy reading the defense, taking what they give me, trying to go on top, and then if everyone is covered, that’s when I get loose, mix it up, and make a play.”
Carter said that the recruiting process had been a long journey for him, and this is not only because he has been committed to ASU for nearly eight months. The firing of former head coach Herm Edwards in mid-September following an upset loss to Eastern Michigan in Tempe opened the door for other teams, such as UCLA, Colorado, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, among others, to try and sway Carter away from the Sun Devils.
“They still are honestly trying to get me to decommit,” Carter commented. “Right after Herm got fired and after I dropped (his then latest) my highlight film, all of these schools started hitting me up, The film I had out there showed them things they didn’t know that I could do. After ASU lost to Eastern Michigan, schools were texting me about an hour after that game. One school wanted me to come for a visit that next week.
“I did tell them that I was concerned because the coach I committed to got fired, and I didn’t know who the next coach was gonna be. I was protecting myself too. I was very open to speaking with a lot of colleges, but I also let them know that I’m still locked in with ASU. I’m all about loyalty. That’s who I am. When I committed, that was a big deal; I don’t want just commit to a coaching staff; I’m gonna commit to the team, to the city, and to the fans. Every time I was at ASU, they showed me love, showed me a lot of support, and I’ve felt at home there. My big brother, (Arizona Cardinals) AJ green, lives in Arizona, about 10 minutes away from ASU. I visited him a lot, and then one time, I stayed a whole week out there just to be in the city. I didn’t even have to visit ASU or anything. I just worked out there and trained there, and it was super fun.”
Carter noted that he wasn’t sure if he would enroll in the spring at ASU or wait until the summer. Nonetheless, he stressed again that this has nothing to do with any wavering on his pledge, as he will sign with Arizona State when the early signing period begins on December 21.
“I want to make sure that I’m at my very best when I get to college,” Carter explained, “I told coach Dillingham today before I left Tempe I told him that when I get to ASU, I know that there are gonna be dudes there (in the quarterback room) but my goal and my head is goona be at I’m gonna fight for that starting job in fall camp. He was very understanding of that and told me that I would have to work hard because nothing is given. It’s a business; he (Dillingham) is gonna bring more guys in, and you just have to work hard every day. You can never be satisfied in the position that you’re in.
“It was a very good conversation, and he was very honest with me. And I let him know that he’s gonna get a hard worker who is very loyal and committed, and I’m not just going to jump into the portal after my first year just because I didn’t get to play. I understand the process, the grind, and what it takes to play at these types of levels, and all I need is an opportunity. He knows my dreams and my goals and how hard I’m gonna work for them, spend time in the film room and do whatever I can to let him know that I want a chance to prove myself to coach Dillingham.”
Carter noted that he could not have asked for a more productive visit to ASU, one that he felt not only put himself more at ease but also one that made him feel more and more comfortable with all the football and non-football aspects of the program. Looking back, he’s certainly content with staying committed to a program that visibly went through a tumultuous 2022 campaign.
“I talked to my dad after that Eastern Michigan loss,” Carter said, “He said that I can’t decommit because he is high on loyalty. And that’s why you guys see my Twitter and my social media, where I’ll be posting a little subliminal message, letting you guys know that like nothing has changed. And even when we lost the Eastern Michigan game, and that was a big, big loss, I had to tell myself that I came here for a reason, to change the program around, to get his team back to a Rose Bowl one day and I want to be I want to be on a championship caliber team. I feel that ASU has all the tools to do that; they have a great support system. We have an amazing guy in coach Dillingham, and he’s aggressive in everything he does. He’s young, and I’m young too. I’m ready to rock and roll and learn about all the ideas that he has to get us there.”
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