Breaking his pelvis twice delayed Carlos Orr's football recruitment but he made it to Big Ten
Gatlinburg-Pittman receiver Carlos Orr learned two things in his sophomore year. The first was patience.
Early in the summer, Orr fractured his pelvis at a Louisville football camp but he healed in time to play in the first game of the 2021 season.
“It was a long process to get back and ready,” Orr said. “I was so ready to be out there with my guys again and then the first game I got hurt.”
The Highlanders lost their season debut and Orr lost the majority of his sophomore season after fracturing his pelvis again but on the opposite side.
Orr said his absence not only impacted his team’s season but also his recruitment since he only played a handful of games by season end.
“My sophomore year I was gonna try to get looked at, but I didn’t have film,” Orr said. “I felt like coaches didn't really pay attention to me because I didn't have that good of stats.”
He now sees his consecutive setbacks as a “learning experience.”
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound receiver said the injuries were in part due to how fast his muscles became larger as he grew into his body. The injuries, however, taught him a second thing: the importance of taking care of his body.
“He got stronger in the weight room and the offseason program his sophomore year to his junior year was big for him," said Brad Waggoner, Gatlinburg-Pittman's coach. “He’s been healthy ever since.”
Orr had 55 catches for 1,035 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in his junior season. He was a Region 2-3A first-team selection and a TSWA all-state player.
The three-star wide receiver is committed to Illinois and is No. 7 on the Knox News Elite 8, a collection of the newspaper's top college football recruits for the Class of 2024. Selections were made after getting the opinions of recruiting writers and observations on the field.
He's rated the No. 39 recruit in Tennessee.
How injuries affected Carlos Orr's recruiting
Rashid Moore is Orr’s uncle and Gatlinburg-Pittman's basketball coach and assistant football coach. He said his nephew’s injuries delayed the surge in his football profile.
“I definitely think he would have burst onto the scene faster because it was inevitable,” Moore said. “It was only a matter of time before he was able to showcase his talents.”
Waggoner, who was in his first year coaching in 2021, said Orr demonstrated his potential when he caught three touchdown passes in his first game back that year.
“He’s a big playmaker and he got great speed, he’s tall,” Waggoner said. “He’s one that we can probably put him at any position on offense and he would probably excel.”
Running back origins
Orr didn’t grow up playing wideout. He was a tailback like his dad and uncle when they played football.
“We all played running back,” Moore said. "He was born into that position. That’s all my brother knew and nobody threw it in little league.”
Orr’s days of playing tailback ended early at Gatlinburg-Pittman because his lanky frame was more advantageous for pass-catching. He did however retain his ability to run through open gaps.
Moore said that Orr’s height was evident as a kid and that it was clear he had college football potential.
“We knew his ceiling will be a little a little higher than ours,” Moore said.
“They're always pushing me to be like the best I can be,” Orr said. “They want me to be better than they were so I guess it's just like a motivation.”
College future
Orr had over 20 offers, considering Miami Ohio, Liberty, Coastal Carolina and East Carolina. Illinois offered him in April. He appreciated the Illini’s persistence in his recruitment after first being contacted by wide receivers coach George McDonald.
Orr said he felt Illinois, his only Power 5 offer, would do the best to develop him on and off the field.
"It's every kid's dream to play Power 5," Orr said.
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What gives Moore confidence his nephew will prosper in college was his dedication when preparing for the ACT.
“We wanted to see when his back was against the wall what he do from an academic standpoint because a lot of stuff comes easy to him,” Moore said. “That ACT trial kind of gave us a little glimpse into what it would be like when he gets to college because it's not gonna come quite so easy.”
Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email tbrown@usatoday.com. Twitter @TJ3rd_.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TSSAA football: Carlos Orr overcame injuries for Illinois commitment
