Well before he received his first Division I football offer, first-year Michael Carter was already on a virtual road to glory.
He was a 6-foot-6, 220-pound quarterback, equipped with the speed to finish a 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and placed in a triple-option system so he’d always be responsible for making in-action reads.
But this particular path wasn’t paved by extra reps taken after a high school football practice, or extra time in the film-study room. This one was at the mercy of his thumbs, which maneuvered the buttons and sticks on a video game controller. Growing up, the Naverre, Fla., native played an NCAA video game that featured a collegiate football career simulation called "Road to Glory."
“You play a couple games in high school, then you play in college …” Carter said, relating the video game to his real-life experience. “So this is the dream, you know?”
Carter got started on his dream early, enrolling at UNC in January to get attuned to the culture of the team and the intricacies of head coach Larry Fedora’s offense as soon as possible.
“He’s a competitor and he’s a great player,” senior wide receiver Austin Proehl said. “He came in early and he’s learned the offense and been competing ever since.”
Carter — who is actually a 5-foot-9, 195-pound running back, despite what his virtual career suggests — tallied 94 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries in North Carolina’s opening game loss to California on Saturday. He came off the bench behind sophomore Jordon Brown and had two plays that headlined his debut: a 47-yard dash in which he navigated through blocks on the strong side of the field (which eventually set up one of his two touchdowns that same drive), and a nine-yard run capped off by a leap over two Golden Bear defenders and a tumble into the pylon.
Most of the snaps he was on the field for — including his two highlights — were out of the pistol. And, in fact, both of his scores were actually pitch-options, where he and quarterback Chazz Surratt isolated and read a California defensive end to advance into the second layer of the opposition’s defense.
Carter said that his experience of lining up in the shotgun, pistol and behind the quarterback under center in high school made Saturday’s transition seem “natural.”
