Instant Reaction | Notre Dame Lands Grad Transfer Antonio Carter II
Notre Dame was looking for depth at the safety position in the transfer portal after spring ball. They may have found more than that with the addition of graduate transfer Antonio Carter II.
The two-year starter for Rhode Island committed to Notre Dame and he immediately jumps into the mix at safety at Notre Dame. He has two years of eligibility remaining and though he primarily played at outside corner, he has demonstrated the physicality to play in the box in the run game and has the instincts and recognition in coverage to compete at safety or nickel.
It’s at safety where Notre Dame has its greatest need right now with three veteran players returning in Xavier Watts, Ramon Henderson, and DJ Brown. After that group, there’s another graduate transfer in Thomas Harper and then two true freshmen at the position.
With Harper coming off of shoulder surgery and the possibility of him being the starting nickel for the Irish this fall, it was evident that Notre Dame could be an injury away from some trouble. Carter can help there and should immediately jump into the two-deep and push for an opportunity to start.
Notre Dame also utilized a “Big Dime” personnel grouping this spring with three safeties in addition to a slot corner. There’s a strong possibility that playing with six defensive backs could be Al Golden’s primary sub-package grouping this fall and Carter could fit at multiple spots there. Even if he doesn’t win a starting job with the base defense, he still could end up being a key piece on 3rd down.
Carter has pieces to his game that are reminiscent of the current safeties on the roster. He’s an attacking run defender who plays aggressive like Xavier Watts.
As a corner, he displays the ability to play man coverage much like former corner Ramon Henderson.
Like DJ Brown, it’s evident that he has the instincts in zone coverage and be physical with receivers after the catch.
And maybe what I like most about Carter’s game is approach to block destruction and the way he isn’t afraid to come up and smack a ball carrier in the run game.
It’s a big jump from the FCS to Notre Dame, but Carter definitely didn’t look out of place when Rhode Island played Pitt last fall. And there is no question he has the kind of size (6’1” 200) and short area quickness to play at a higher level.
26.5 Havoc plays (tackles for loss, forced fumbles, passes breakups, and interceptions) in 22 career games is no joke. He knows how to find the football. Last season he had 17.5 Havoc plays in 11 games.
His floor as a contributor is probably similar to what Chris Smith did after he transferred in from Harvard last year. His ceiling is high enough that he could become a starter, possibly for multiple seasons.
That’s the biggest part of his addition in my opinion. Even if he proves to be a solid backup this fall, he could end up being more than that in 2024 and Notre Dame is going to need depth at the position even more with DJ Brown and Thomas Harper gone.
This is a nice win for Chris O’Leary, Marcus Freeman, and company. They needed some extra help in the secondary and they landed one of the best options available.
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