Paducah Tilghman coach Sean Thompson is not surprised that freshman safety Martels Carter is doing well at Kentucky. (Larry Vaught Photo)
Paducah Tilghman High School football coach Sean Thompson was not surprised when he saw Martels Carter practicing at Kentucky anss said that it looked just like old times.
“You could tell he was in his element,” Thompson said. “Not much has changed. He is still a fun loving guy. His passion for the game does not change and I still see him being very successful at Kentucky.”
Carter helped Paducah Tilghman win the Class 4A state championship last season and was heavily recruited nationally but never wavered after making his commitment to UK.
“I’ve always talked about how vocal he is and how he communicated with our guys. That is huge. Coaches always tell you at any level if kids communicate that they have a great chance to be successful,” Thompson said. “He was getting a lot of reps (in spring practice).”
Kentucky coaches feel Carter has the physical and mental skills to be a future star in the UK secondary. However, he was also an explosive offensive player for Paducah Tilghman.
“He is the most explosive with the ball in his hand and I do believe he could play some both ways,” Thompson said. “He did not play as much offense last year for us because of some nagging injuries. He did in the state championship game and had two touchdowns.
“Once he ran 23 miles per hour in practice coming off a quad injury and when he got to Kentucky he found out it was actually torn. That speaks to the kind of athlete he is. The quickest way to let him impact the game with the ball is on special teams but I really would not be surprised to see him line up at receiver some time. He’s just that special on both sides of the ball.”
2 Responses
If someone can help you on both offense and defense why not play them if you need them. Our receivers room is very limited and could be boosted by letting Carter make some plays. His bread and butter is on defense but he could also make plays on offense. Travis Hunter just became a first round pick being a iron man. I don’t know why coaches feel like guys who are uber talented should only play one way. That’s a losers mentality. I would have him running some slot receiver. He can make 1-2 people miss every single time. He runs great angles like Bowden and Cobb but also plays great at safety. I would definitely use him a couple times during the game.
Don’t see Stoops giving him a chance going both ways. Stoops is stuck in the mud of old school and is out of his element with new ideas. Heck, he still hasn’t figured out how to use a TE in the passing game even when he has a good OL and a decent QB.
Don’t see Stoops changing anytime soon.