Growing up as the child of a professional athlete has its advantages if said children have goals of becoming professionals themselves. Just ask Ken Griffey Jr., Stephen Curry, and Jake Long. Dexter Carter Jr. is one of the few athletes to have that advantage here in Northeast Florida. Dexter Carter Sr. – a native of Baxley, Georgia who played at 5’9,” 170 lbs during his career – has produced a son who’s playing at 5’11,” 175 lbs and only in high school with plenty of potential left for growth.
Carter Jr. has played just about every sport you could play as a kid, including lacrosse, baseball, soccer, and swimming. He started at Pablo Creek at the age of eight and then started at the Bolles School in the seventh grade. Around that time, his dad was the running back coach at Florida State University where Dexter Jr. had some of his most memorable moments. Dexter Jr. enjoyed getting up early with the Seminoles and watching film.
Dexter Jr. plays wingback in the Bolles Bulldog offense, and he’s coached by Corky Rogers, one of the greatest coaches in Northeast Florida history. Dexter Jr. is looking to expand his talent and abilities this upcoming season by playing some defensive back for the Bulldogs.
“Coach Rogers doesn’t like his best players going both ways, but I’ve been working hard this off-season to show him I’m capable of doing so, being that this my senior year,” he said.
Attending an academically prestigious high school such as Bolles is no walk in the park. Dexter Jr. currently maintains a 2.8 GPA, and after talking to his friends at public schools, he’s aware of the dedication and commitment he has to make academically first.
Dexter Jr. has played the majority of his football under his father’s tutelage. Dexter Jr. said, “It was no daddy ball with my dad. I think he was harder on me because I was his son.” That type of motivation has led the father-son duo to a state title in 2011 and runner-up finishes in 2012 and 2013 where they saw Booker T. Washington High School all three years. Dexter Jr. has set the goal of making it back to the state championship game for his fourth consecutive year for some revenge against the Miami powerhouse. His next goal is to follow in his father’s footsteps and get to the highest level of football his talents will take him.
Dexter Carter Sr. is proud to say that he has coached his son through every level he has played. The 46-year-old Carter Sr. and former running back, has laid out the blue prints for his son, having received a master’s degree and played in the NFL. Also having played with many Hall-of-Famers, he likes to use his former teammate Jerry Rice as an example for his son. He said, “You may be good…and you can even be great in some people’s eyes. But you’ve got to work every day like somebody else is outworking you.”
He only asks three things from his son: energy, effort, and intelligence. He wants his son to use that to go even further than he did.
The father-son duo can get a little competitive. The younger Carter says every time they race his dad pulls a muscle. The elder says that he has a bad knee and is more of a talent evaluator now. “When I was at FSU, and we played basketball in the driveway, a sport neither one of us plays much, and I couldn’t stop him, I knew he was taking that next step. But until he runs a 4.24 40-yard-dash, I’ll always be faster,” the former 49er said.
Twelve Division I colleges are recruiting Dexter Jr. as a defensive back, but he’s still undecided where he’ll be taking his talents in 2015. He will be working extra hard this summer at his defensive skills as he prepares for his senior season.
“I’m going to save my official visits for after I’m done playing my senior season,” he said.
Northeast Florida/August 2014
Special Feature
The Carter II
Written by Joey Lopes
Photography by Beverly Pye
