Arrow Is Up For 2024 WR Xakery Wiedner

Dwayne Carter has a reputation for spotting underrated talent.

The owner of C3 Elite 7-on-7 squad was one of the first to recognize Aneyas Williams deserved to be considered one of the very best backs in the Class of 2024. It took him just a few minutes of watching Loghan Thomas stretch and go through warmups at January’s National Combine in San Antonio before realizing the 2024 Texas defensive end was a no-doubt Power-5 prospect.

Carter is convinced he’s found another one in 2024 Florida receiver Xakery Wiedner‍.

When the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder joined C3 Elite he didn’t have any offers, but over the past few weeks has seen Charlotte, Mercer, Florida Atlantic and UMass all extend offers.

The Pace High School standout has enjoyed his time with C3.

“It's been amazing,” Wiedner said. “To be honest, it's a new, new feeling. I get to see new things, get to experience new things. It's a different culture that is around c3 and it's fun to be able to sit there and experience it with them.”

Wiedner hasn’t had many chances to showcase his talents on the high school field, having to sit out a year when he transferred schools and then playing in a run-heavy offense as a junior.

So he’s grateful for the chance to do it with and against top talent this offseason.

“It's mind-blowing to be honest,” he said. “At first I wasn't going to do 7-on-7. I was just going to focus mainly on track. But when they told me that I can just come whenever I'm free, that was different.

“It meant something to me. So whenever I'm out there, I like to play to my best abilities and, and just do what I can.”

Major colleges saw a bit of what Carter saw in the glimpses they got during the fall, but wanted to see more of him running routes and catching passes.

“With my school, we're more run-dominant, so it's kind of hard for me to show them what they wanted to see,” he said. “With C3 and 7-on-7, I'm able to showcase my route running and my speed and my separation, the way I catch the ball.”

In addition to the offers he already has, he’s received interest from Georgia Tech, Memphis, Tennessee and UConn among others.

“It's amazing,” he said of the interest. “At first, I wasn't really expecting this, especially when I wasn't able to play.”

Notre Dame is close to full at the positon with the commitment of Micah Gilbert‍, but the Irish would still like to get a look at Wiedner at a camp this summer.

Wiedner credits Carter, whose brother is New York Jets running back Michael Carter, with helping him get exposure and understand recruiting.

“He's told me a lot about the process,” said Wiedner. “He's told us plenty of times to not really focus on the decision. As of right now, honestly, just focus on what school we think will fit us best.

“He's given us advice about NIL, him and Michael Carter, his older brother. They both have talked to us about that. Michael, he's even given us advice about how we should make our choices, when it comes down to making your choices, how you should choose. Then he's given us advice about how the league works. So, there's just been a whole lot of advice and information that's been given to us, and I've just been taking it in.”

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