MORGANTOWN — Although he’s not from West Virginia himself, wide receiver Devin Carter views his transfer to WVU this season as a homecoming.
Carter, who grew up in Clayton, N.C., has ties to the Mountain State on his mother’s side of the family. His mother lived in the Welch area and his grandparents resided in Princeton.
“They lived in Princeton for the longest time,” Carter said at a youth football camp earlier this month. “I would come to their house around Christmas time every year when I was little.”
Carter originally attended NC State, spending five seasons with the Wolfpack from 2018-22. Due to redshirting and the bonus COVID year, Carter has one final year of eligibility and decided to transfer somewhere new in hopes of improving his NFL draft stock.
“I had wanted to go to the league last year, into the draft, but I thought about it and talked with a couple of people what I respect and they told me to consider taking my sixth year,” Carter said. “I did and I couldn’t be happier honestly. I think I made the right decision for myself.”
Even after deciding to stay in college for 2023, Carter still hadn’t decided on a destination. He verbally committed to Penn State on Jan. 2, but flipped to WVU nine days later.
“I was recently committed to Penn State and it didn’t sit right with me,” he explained. “I told them I would take my time to make a decision and I just kept thinking about West Virginia. My mom was from here, she was born here, my grandparents are from here so it just felt like home.
“They loved it,” Carter said of his family’s reaction. “It kind of feels like home to them too because we’ve got a lot of people from here.”
Penn State’s loss is the Mountaineers’ gain as Carter immediately becomes the No. 1 option in West Virginia’s inexperienced receiver room. Carter was a four-year starter at NC State, putting up at least 25 receptions and 400 yards in all four seasons. His best campaign came in 2021 when he caught 31 passes for 556 yards and six touchdowns.
In addition to his family, Carter also heard from friend and former WVU receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton. Carter and Ford-Wheaton became friends in high school, as Carter’s Clayton High and Ford-Wheaton’s Holly Springs are less than an hour apart.
“(Ford-Wheaton said) basically that I could be the next big receiver here,” Carter explained. “I could come in and take over, kind of be that guy and fit into that role.”
Carter said he grew up watching WVU receiving greats Tavon Austin and Kevin White, another reason for him to favor the Gold and Blue.
“I grew up watching these guys’ highlight films,” he said. “I ended up at NC State so I never thought I would end up in the position where I am now. I just think it’s all God.”
Carter’s arrival helps to mitigate the impact of WVU losing all four of its top receivers from 2022 — Ford-Wheaton, Sam James, Kaden Prather and Reese Smith.
“I think it is crucial to have somebody who’s been a four-year starter and he knows what big-time football looks like,” first-year WVU wide receiver coach Bilal Marshall said during spring practices. “He’s been able to lead by example and also pull guys along. If you didn’t have somebody in that role, you’d have to build that person and create it. It does help that he’s somebody who naturally does it.”
In the short time he’s been in Morgantown, Carter said he’s already seen physical improvement thanks to WVU’s strength staff and has built chemistry with quarterbacks Garrett Greene and Nicco Marchiol.
“I’m stronger all around, more flexible, faster,” Carter said. “Everything you want to get out of a strength staff you get out of these guys. They push us every day and they want perfection in the weight room.”
Ironically, Carter’s first game with the Mountaineers will come against the team he flipped his commitment from as WVU opens the 2023 season in primetime at Penn State on Sept. 2.
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