Friday, August 10, 2012

Meet the Leading Lions: Marquel Carter



Marquel Carter


Phil Steele's usually pretty accurate preseason All Ivy 1st and 2nd teams have been released. 

Columbia only has one member of the 1st Team in Josh Martin, who is mis-listed as a linebacker even though he's moving back to the DL this season. 

But the 2nd team is literally teeming with Lions. Sean Brackett is the QB, Scott Ward is on the OL, and Seyi Adebayo, Mike Waller, Zach Olinger and Marquel Carter are on the defense.

The only surprising snub was Ryan Murphy not getting mentioned, but that's not really a slap in the face. 

For Lion fans, the fact that the junior Carter has earned recognition is an EXTREMELY good sign. That's because Columbia is looking for help in a secondary gutted by graduation the last two seasons. 

Backstory

You may remember that Carter is the remarkable young man from the Los Angeles area who is fluent in Japanese and came to Columbia as a QB. Carter was recruited by Nebraska and Utah and got solid offers from Princeton and Cornell. He even reportedly committed to New Hampshire before changing his mind.  Not long after coming to Columbia, he switched to DB.


Career Highlights

-Did not play with the varsity in 2010, but broke onto the field as a top backup and special teams coverage man right away in 2011. Saw his first action in the season opener at Fordham and played all 10 games for the Lions.

-First impact game was week three at Princeton, netting four tackles and a forced fumble.

-Had seven tackles in week seven against Yale.

-Got his first-ever varsity start in week nine at Cornell and led the team with 12 tackles, including one for a loss. 

-Forced a fumble against Brown that led to the Lions first TD of the game. Also had six tackles.

-Finished the season with 47 tackles.


Scouting Report

Is bigger and stronger than most Ivy League defensive backs. Has good speed and hits hard. Needs to become more of presence on the opposing side of the line of scrimmage.


Jake's Take

As one of the most heralded members of the 2010 recruiting class, it's time for Carter to have a breakout season. He showed some good signs last season, but this Lion secondary badly needs him to step up. He has a strong chance to do that this year despite being banged up in spring practice. If he steps up big time, this could be a very good season for the Lions.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If you watch Carter closely on the football field, you will see that he is a very smart player with an excellent all-around feel for the game. He is a hard hitter with excellent football instincts. With two years experience behind him, I agree with you that he is poised to have an outstanding season.