Ohios Carter shows leadership

Hilliard (Ohio) Darby offensive guard Ryan Carter is a solid 2007 recruiting specimen. The 6-foot-3, 265-pounder has begun to pick up interest from a few Division I schools recently.

"A lot of the MAC schools have shown interest in him like Toledo, Akron, Ohio, Marshall and others, but he's also getting stuff from Cincinnati too," Darby head coach Paul Jenne said. "I think most teams are a little gun shy about Ryan right now because he's at that break off point at 6-foot-3."

Carter has been a three year starter for Darby. What makes him stand out as a player?

"I feel that Ryan can play any position on the line tackle to tackle," he said. "When he gets to college his height will obviously limit him and probably will force him to be a center or guard, but I think he can play both. He is a very aggressive blocker that moves tremendously well and understands what it takes to get better. He also has a really long arm span that is a huge advantage for a lineman.

"Last season he was very solid for us despite wearing a cast and playing with two broken thumbs. He still dominated the competition and the thing about Ryan is that he could still grow some more and definitely put on another 30-pounds. There is plenty of room for muscular development too."

The lineman prospect is not only a good player, but he is a natural leader too.

"He was easily named a two year captain for us and that really says something particularly on a team that featured 30 seniors last year," Jenne explained. "Kids look to him to provide leadership and he does it. He is also a very solid student with a 3.5 GPA and naturally works hard."

Last season Carter earned first team all-league honors.

This summer Carter plans to attend camps at Ball State and Cincinnati.