DeQuece Carter came to Indiana football on a mission: ‘Want to make my name known’
BLOOMINGTON — DeQuece Carter sees opportunity when he looks at Indiana football’s 2023 schedule.
The Hoosiers have to run through the Big Ten East gauntlet one last time — the conference is abandoning the divisional format starting next season — and that means facing three preseason top 10 teams in Michigan (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 3) and Penn State (No. 7).
It’s the kind of schedule that will provide the Fordham transfer receiver with plenty of moments to prove he’s right where he belongs.
"I’m super motivated,” Carter said, during fall camp. “That was one of the big reasons I came here. Obviously, I got a lot of exposure at the FCS level, but just taking that step up. I really want to prove myself, I want to make my name known."
Carter got a taste of FBS competition when Fordham played at Nebraska in 2021, the first game in Lincoln without any attendance restrictions since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rams lost 52-7, but Carter had five catches for 69 yards.
That game made the quiet voice in the back of Carter’s head grow louder.
“I always thought I was an FBS kind of player,” Carter said, with a smile.
DeQuece Carter is the most experienced receiver on Indiana football's roster
It wasn’t hard for Carter to bet on himself given the success he’s had throughout his career. Carter left Woodberry Forest High School as a three-time all-state honoree who graduated as central Virginia’s all-time leading scorer.
He continued putting up numbers at Fordham where he ranks third all-time in program history in receiving (3,305 yards), fourth in receiving touchdowns (31) and eighth in career receptions (176). He set career highs as a senior with 56 catches for 1,166 yards and 13 touchdowns.
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Carter picked Indiana over James Madison and Tulane, in large part due to a lengthy one-on-one conversation with coach Tom Allen. The hardest part of the process was not being able to participate in spring camp as he finished his coursework at Fordham to earn his marketing degree.
He made up for lost time this summer by spending his free time working out with his teammates during the day and studying the playbook at night.
“He's got a great mature presence about him,” Indiana receivers coach Anthony Tucker siad. “He's really kind fit in with our team really fast. He's really smart obviously coming from Fordham you would assume that, but he's picked up how we do things. He's perfect for what our culture is here and has fit into our locker room really well."
DeQuece Carter has changed positions after transfering to IU
The biggest challenge for Carter during fall camp has been playing primarily in the slot where he’s competing for reps alongside Kamryn Perry.
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According to Pro Football Focus, he played more than 90% of his snaps at Fordham (1,036 of 1,136 passing snaps) lined up on the outside. He knows those numbers will likely be flipped around this fall as a 6-foot-0, 196-pounder with 4.4 speed.
“There’s a lot of guys like me fighting for their positions right now,” Carter said. “Just trying to prove themselves, it makes you really go hard in practice and want to work…I think that’s going to build a really good culture here.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on Twitter @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Fordham transfer WR DeQuece Carter came to Indiana football on mission
