As he gets set to play his first full season of varsity football, Darius Carter is hitting the ground wide open.
The 2027 in-state wideout (Ridge View) has already been turning the heads of talent evaluators at recent camps, and the 5-foot-9 receiver is hoping to do the same with the Clemson coaching staff on June 4 when he works out at Dabo Swinney’s high school camp.
“Hopefully, just get noticed,” Carter told The Clemson Insider. “And to just do what I do. Because when I go to camps and stuff, I’m not the biggest. I’m not the tallest. But I use that to my advantage to get around my defender. So I can just hopefully stick out and just do what I do to get the coaches to know who I am.”
Carter is the teammate of 2026 WR Jordon Gidron, the top player in the state and one of the top players in the country. Getting to play alongside such a talented player, at the same position he plays, not only helps him get more recognition, but he also sees it as an opportunity to learn from one of the best.
“It’s really just good on like my part and his part,” Carter said. “Because he’s bringing coaches to watch us and build us as a team. So it’s really giving me more opportunities to just watch him, and being able to learn from the older kid. And just me learning how to be a great player like Jordon.”
Clemson is still a year away from offering players in the 2027 class, Carter knows an offer won’t be forthcoming anytime in the near future. This summer during his workout, his focus is on just getting on the radar and beginning the process.
“I think it’s really smart to see the player developed,” Carter said. “I feel like offering them too early… maybe they could get hurt. Something else can happen. So I really think that’s a good idea.”
However, if that offer from the Tigers were to ever come, it would be special, especially since he is an in-state kid.
“It would mean a lot,” Carter said. “Just getting a call from a coach saying I got an offer. Just knowing that I worked hard and just my dreams are finally coming true. Just taking the next step on being what I want to be in life.”
Being so early in the process, Carter is now just trying to find schools that could be a good fit. He has already taken visits to UCF and Florida this year, and as he goes through his summer visits, he is looking for the coaching staff that can best develop him.
“Really just good coaching and coaches that are going to believe in me,” Carter said. “Just coach that’s going to get me to where I want to be. Because I’m a coachable player. I know everybody makes mistakes and you just got to learn off those and just keep growing. So I really want a good coaching staff and just a good school overall to just help me get to the next level.”
