PRESSURE DOESN'T GET TO CARTER
Former Palm Beach Gardens High standout praised for his intelligence.
Palm Beach Gardens’ Amari Car
CORAL GABLES — ter made the first start of his University of Miami career last weekend, which might have seemed like a big deal to some.
To Carter?
“It felt natural,” he said. “It’s what I’ve been preparing for.”
Given Carter is a sophomore safety, that kind of cool under pressure is just what defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is looking for.
“Calm,” Diaz said of Carter’s performance. “Under control. Made all the checks. Amari is a very intelligent player. He played like a smart guy. He played like he knew what was going on, knew what they were going to do on the play before it happened.”
Carter said he wasn’t nervous before the 31-17 victory over Florida International. Just confident.
“I step on the field every day with that mindset,” he said.
Carter was credited with one tackle, giving him seven for the season.
A familiar face stepped on the field in the secondary with him Saturday: freshman safety Gurvan Hall, who also attended Gardens High and also made an impact. A loud impact, with a hit the Hurricanes are still talking about.
“He made the whole crowd rise to their feet,” Carter said. “And that’s something that we pride ourselves on as DBs. You want to get to the ball, and you want to make the hit and he’s doing that.”
Diaz said watching the video of that play also had an impact on the defensive team meeting earlier in the week.
“We showed the video of that ... and we showed the reaction of everybody on the sideline. There were guys that weren’t watching and all of a sudden everybody looks up,” Diaz said. “That’s how you make a name. You got to make those plays that people in the stands spill their popcorn. ‘Who is that?’ That’s how they remember you. That’s the high- end play.”
Carter was highly recruited out of Gardens High, choosing the Hurricanes over Notre Dame. Coach Mark Richt was glad to sign a player he considered “the nicest kid in America when you meet him” but also “the meanest player” between the lines.
“Every day, when I see someone, I greet them and every thing,” Carter said. “I’m a cool person. That’s what he was talking about.” The mean part?
“That’s on the fifield,” he said. “Y’all see that.”