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When Daniel Carter set his commitment for Dec. 1, he chose that date because it was his mother’s birthday - not because he knew where he wanted to go.
The four-star running back had narrowed his choices to two schools, Pitt and Kansas State, but in the weeks leading up to his commitment, uncertainty reigned.
“I don’t think it really hit me until probably on Saturday in the morning,” Carter told Panther-Lair.com. “I had a long time to think about it and some days it was Kansas State, some days it was Pitt. But me and my family talked a lot about it and I really felt like it was the best for me.”
The school that Carter decided was the best turned out to be Pitt, and he said the decision was one that pleased his entire family.
“My family’s really excited. My mom loved Pittsburgh when she went up there; she never stopped talking about Pittsburgh, so my family was excited when they heard I wanted to go there. They were crazy around the house.”
Carter tweeted his commitment to the Panthers as the team was playing in the ACC Championship Game against Clemson Saturday night. Pitt lost that game, but Carter was impressed with how the team got to the title game and how they played once they got there.
“Pitt played their hearts out; they battled it out,” Carter said. “On my visit, me and Darrin Hall talked about what it would mean to get to the ACC championship and all the coaches talked about how they wanted to win the Coastal and then they did it. They accomplished their goal and it was great to see.”
Carter made his official visit to Pitt in June, and while nearly six months have passed since he was in Pittsburgh, the memories are fresh and impacted his decision.
“When I went there for my visit, it was a great experience,” he said. “I loved the city, loved the coaches, loved the atmosphere. And it was better for me and my family because my brother goes to Robert Morris so having my brother up there would be better for us as a family.
“Plus, having the coaches stay in contact every day really showed me something and kept me thinking about that visit.”
Carter ranks in the Rivals250 and is the No. 11 running back prospect in the class of 2019. In last Friday’s state semifinal game, Carter led St. Thomas Aquinas to a victory with 200 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries (plus another score on a reception). He’s already over 1,000 rushing yards on the season and has scored 20 times.
As he considered his options, he said he definitely took note of Pitt’s success running the ball this season, as the Panthers had two 1,000-yard rushers for the first time in school history.
“Pitt going crazy with their running backs this year and having both of them rush for 1,000 yards really opened my mind,” he said. “I can come in and hopefully play and contribute to them right away.”
Carter is Pitt’s second running back commitment in the 2019 class, joining fellow Floridian Vincent Davis. Davis, a standout at Cardinal Gibbons, is smaller than Carter, who said he’s currently 5’11” and 215 pounds, and the two Sunshine State backs think they’ll work well together.
“Me and him have been talking since we came back from the visit and we’ve got a very close bond,” Carter said. “I will love to share the same backfield with him.”
With Carter on board, Pitt’s 2019 recruiting class stands at 20 prospects and ranks No. 32 nationally. Carter is the seventh recruit from Florida to commit to the Panthers in this class.
