Austin Herr: It's Fun Watching Delone Carter's Journey to the NFL

I moved to Geneva in the summer of 2008, the summer before I started high school. I had lived in Akron, Ohio (the hometown of NBA superstar LeBron James) since birth. If I never moved, I would have attended Copley High School, the same high school that Indianapolis Colts rookie running back Delone Carter went to. That he is the starting running back of the Colts—as a rookie—is no surprise to anyone from the Copley suburban area.

He was the Copley Indians running back while I was still in middle school. Even though I was young, I knew a fair amount about football and just had a gut feeling that he was going to be something special. He was the main reason why Copley was one of the top high school football teams in the state of Ohio in 2004 and 2005.

After the 2005 season, Carter received the Mr. Football Award for the state of Ohio. The award recognized him as the best football player in the state of Ohio.

He attended Syracuse University the following year, where he was the starting running back in 2006, 2009, and 2010. He had a great rookie season in 2006, but then he got injured and was redshirted for the 2007 season, and then battled injuries in the following season. His final two seasons were injury-free, enabling him to run for over 1,000 yards in both 2009 and 2010.

Adding to his awards collection from high school, he was named the MVP of the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl. In that game, Carter rushed for a staggering 198 yards and three touchdowns. His 3,104 career rushing yards ranks third all-time in Syracuse history.

After graduating from Syracuse, Carter entered the NFL draft and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round. It was widely considered a steal for the Colts to grab Carter and his impressive resume so late in the draft.

Due to injuries and ineffectiveness of the running attack, Carter became the starter in Week 5. As of Week 6, he has rushed for 170 yards and one touchdown.

I'm really happy for Delone Carter because it's cool to see someone from the same town as me become a professional athlete, let alone a starting running back. I was amazed to find out back in 2003 that high school phenom and future NBA star LeBron James grew up not too far from where I did. But it's even more sensational that I knew and had seen Delone Carter play football when he was still in high school.

Already a starter, Delone Carter is on the fast track to become a star in the NFL. If you haven't heard of him yet, you will soon.