Save your V’lique Carter Heisman votes.

Don’t ask me, ask Pitt running backs coach Andre Powell.

“You know he’s a little man, but he’s fast, he’s got talent so it’s going to take some time," Powell said of his new running back acclimating to his new spot. "He probably won’t win the Heisman this year, but we’ll get a lot of mileage out of him and he’ll continue to get better."

There you have it, the V’lique Carter Heisman campaign never got off the ground, but now that we have lowered that bar of expectations: what can Carter realistically do for this Pitt offense in 2019? Pitt recruited Carter as a defensive back out of Florida in the class of 2018, but after sitting throughout most of last season, Pitt brought him in as a secret weapon against Duke and all he did was rush for 137 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries mostly on jet sweeps.

The kind of explosiveness he displayed in that game helped lead to a position change this offseason. The early returns on Carter moving to tailback appear to be positive.

“He’s getting better; he took a big jump today,” Powell explained. “Again that’s a kid that we recruited to be a defensive back and we discovered, ‘hey he can really run.’ “

Pat Narduzzi echoed those same thoughts. “He had probably, maybe his best day today I think,” the Pitt head coach said. “That’ll come day-by-day. I mean he’s in day six of a totally new position.”

Carter added, “Yea I made a few runs,” he said. “Just trying to stay focused and trying to go straight vertical because I usually go side to sideline so I’m just getting better learning.”

It’s no surprise that Carter is something different for the running back room. He checks in at 5’9” and 180-pounds. Going from James Conner to Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall, Pitt has had some bigger backs recently. Even junior A.J. Davis and sophomore Todd Sibley aren’t big by definition, but are more conventional backs than Carter.

Powell notes that because of his size that Carter can just do things that can’t be taught and brings a different element to the position. “He’s fast, he’s quick, he’s twitchy - that’s something you can’t coach,” he said. “You always look for guys that possess things that you can’t coach and you certainly can’t coach speed and twitch and he’s definitely got that.”

Even though Powell is looking for someone that can do things that can’t be taught, Carter is looking for that extra coaching for everywhere he can find it.

“I thought it was just get the ball and run up the field - hit the 3 hole, 2 hole, you know,” Carter joked. “There’s a lot more to it, you got to read the edges and see whose coming - just way more to it.”

“He always snaps on me about just keeping my head up and not looking down, just try to stay focused.”

Carter may have a ways to go before he could possibly be the starting running back. Pitt returns three running backs that were all highly touted out of high school, like Davis and Sibley along with Mychale Salahuddin, and that trio is likely ready to take their turn after Hall and Ollison carried the load last season. In addition to those three, Pitt is bringing in two talented freshman in Daniel Carter and Vincent Davis. Even with the competition, Carter hopes to be the starter.

When asked if it’s his goal to be more than just a guy on gadget plays and to get more traditional carries, Carter, who is never one to be shy, replied, “That’s what I’m trying to be - the man.”