Prior to arriving on Notre Dame’s campus Wednesday, Rhode Island graduate transfer Antonio Carter II fully intended to leave South Bend, Ind., on Friday and continue making visits.
Carter, a projected safety with two seasons of eligibility remaining, planned to visit LSU and Florida before making a transfer decision. But prior to Carter ending his Notre Dame visit Friday, he gave his commitment to the Irish. He shared the news Saturday on social media.
“Honestly, I didn't really,” Carter said Friday when asked by Inside ND Sports if he imagined that his recruitment would end with his Notre Dame visit. “I didn’t think that. I knew I’d probably enjoy it. I didn’t really know. I wanted to go to LSU and Florida too, but it's not all about the hype. It's about what's best for me.”
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After totaling 105 tackles, 16 pass breakups, 5.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, three recovered fumbles, two sacks and one interception primarily playing cornerback across 22 games the last two seasons at FCS-level Rhode Island, Carter wanted a new challenge. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defender found a fit on Notre Dame’s campus and in Notre Dame’s secondary.
“Right now, this is a business decision for me,” Carter said. “The quality here is big. I’m looking for a campus where I can go in, lock in and get what I need to get done. I can do that here. That's just the football aspect of it.
“Then just looking at it as a place where I can build great relationships that will last me for the rest of my life. I don't know if I can get those same relationships elsewhere. The quality of the school, both on the field and off the field, has an edge on the rest of the schools.
“Me and my parents felt good being here. We enjoyed it. It was the right decision for me.”
Notre Dame safeties coach Chris O’Leary admitted to reporters and to his players this spring that the Irish may be in the market for another safety. The Irish finished the spring with only three fully healthy scholarship safeties: graduate senior DJ Brown and seniors Xavier Watts and Ramon Henderson.
The Irish were without Oklahoma State graduate transfer Thomas Harper (shoulder), freshman Adon Shuler (shoulder) and freshman Ben Minich (thumb). All three are expected to be physically able to contribute when preseason camp starts this summer.
“It’s evaluating this spring how ready our two-deep was to play on the big stage and push for a national title,” O’Leary said in early April. “That’s the decision we’re making. Beyond that, we have numbers that we want to get guys to develop. We’re always evaluating that situation.”
Brown, Watts, Henderson and Harper all have valuable experience playing safety or nickelback. Harper is expected to get a shot at the starting nickelback role, which necessitated bringing in another contributor like Carter.
Though Carter was once a 5-foot-10, 146-pound cornerback prospect with no offers out of Orlando (Fla.) Oak Ridge High, he developed into a player expected to be able to make the leap to FBS competition this coming season.
"Carter impressed in so many ways at Rhode Island last year that he could be a plug-and-play option if he ends up at Notre Dame,” Rivals national director of recruiting Adam Gorney said prior to Carter’s Notre Dame visit. “He has length. He's super physical and aggressive. He has no issues coming off and blitzing from his corner spot.
“He's active and knocks the ball out. I love how he can come off one receiver to make a play elsewhere. He trusts his instincts, and then in coverage, he has no problem living on an island. With all that being said, some of it might not show up on the stat sheet, but Carter was impressive there as well. It will be an immediate step-up in competition if he ends up in South Bend, but Carter has the skills and the demeanor to make it work."
Notre Dame pulled defensive coordinator Al Golden and O’Leary off the recruiting trail to be on campus during Carter’s visit. They helped explained the vision for Carter in the Irish scheme.
“Really just being able to show my versatility,” Carter said. “Being able to play nickel or dime. Being able to play safety and show what I can do. I already have film at corner. Just being able to show what I can on a top-10 program would be great for me.”
Head coach Marcus Freeman — who, per NCAA rules, can’t be on the recruiting trail during the spring evaluation period — was on campus for Carter’s visit as well.
“I like him,” Carter said. “He’s cool. He’s very personable. We can relate. He’s an enjoyable person. He doesn't really feel like a head coach.”
Carter’s visit to Notre Dame followed trips to Wisconsin and Ole Miss. Having those visits under his belt allowed him to get a better understanding of what he was looking for at Notre Dame.
“This was definitely different and very unique,” Carter said. “I was able to be myself around the coaches, laugh and joke and not just be all about football. It really helped.”
With the addition of Carter, Notre Dame will be adding four transfers to the roster this summer. The other three committed to the Irish in the winter but needed to finish their final semester elsewhere: South Florida kicker Spencer Shrader, Penn punter Ben Krimm and Princeton defensive end Cole Aubrey. Krimm and Aubrey were recruited to Notre Dame as walk-on players.
Four other transfer portal additions enrolled at Notre Dame in January: Virginia Tech wide receiver Kaleb Smith, Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman, Ohio State defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Harper. Smith opted to retire from football in April.
Carter’s goal was to know his next destination by Rhode Island’s commencement ceremony next Saturday. The realization of his Notre Dame preference may have come a bit sooner than anticipated, but he’ll be on campus in a month, so the clarity brought some relief.
“All the schools that God has blessed me with the opportunity to go, they all are good football programs,” Carter said. “I was looking for something that was different from the rest.”
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