Edgewater 3-star QB Carter Emanuel explains his college decision

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Editor’s note: Edgewater senior quarterback Carter Emanuel wrote the following first-person story to announce his college commitment.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Emanuel is a three-star recruit. He completed 176 of 275 passes for 2,237 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 406 yards and four touchdowns in 2025.

Emanuel is the son of former NFL safety Charles Emanuel and the younger brother of current Florida edge rusher Charles Emanuel III.

I grew up in a football family.

I remember going to equipment checks at our elementary school. My dad was my first coach, and I still remember putting on my gear for the first time. It was cool. I only played flag football up to that point, so putting on the equipment was a big deal. Seeing my older brother in pads made me want to do the exact same thing, so when it was my time to do it, it was fun.

There wasn’t any pressure to play football. It was just something my dad got us into when we were little, and I fell in love with it. I saw his accomplishments and where football took him. I love everything about the game. It teaches you how to stick through hard times and when it gets tough, you keep working. I know it prepares you for everything else in life.

I’ve been thinking about playing college football since I was in fifth grade. That’s when I started watching highlights and going to West Virginia games that my dad and mom would take me to. I remember watching guys like Tavon Austin and wanting to do that, too.

The recruiting process has been crazy. It started off with my first offer going into my freshman season. My freshman year, I got invited to the FBU/Adidas All-American game, playing with guys like Malachi Toney (Miami), Jahkeem Stewart (USC) and Tyler Atkinson (Texas signee) and I won MVP. That’s when my recruitment started to pick up. I got some Power 4 offers and a lot of interest.

My sophomore year, I broke my ankle. That’s what set me back. A lot of other kids started to get more notice and offers and were able to commit after their sophomore season, but I had to make up for that season my junior year.

On my official visit to UConn, I fell in love with them and decided to commit in June. I went through the whole season planning to play for Jim Mora as my coach, and then coach Mora ended up going to Colorado State and I didn’t know what to do.

This past week has been crazy. I first heard the news waking up for practice over Thanksgiving break. I checked my phone and saw that coach Jim Mora left UConn for Colorado State. I didn’t know what would happen after that. I tried to stay focused on the playoff game, but all week I was talking with my family and coaches trying to figure out the best decision for me.

It’s been great knowing my dad’s been through this. It’s different with the money and recruiting styles now, but he’s gone through it. My older brother, seeing him go through everything. He’s done everything before me. It’s cool to see how he went through and how he handled things. I’ve learned from him through this process.

I want to thank everybody that has made me the player and person I am today. My mom and dad, brothers, current and past coaches, trainers and administrators in school.

I am committing to Colorado State.

Thinking through everything, it led me back to the people I committed to at UConn and that was the leading factor in my going to Colorado State.

I really like that coach Mora has NFL experience and that he’s won at a high level. The way he turned UConn around during the four years he was there with nine wins in back-to-back season and being bowl eligible. He’s a winning coach. He’s a great genuine guy and a family guy that you want to be around. As a parent, he’s the guy you want to be coaching your son.

Knowing that he has a plan for me is a huge factor. My first visit to UConn for Junior Day, they had a whole slide show with what they see in me and what they believe can happen if I trusted them, everything they believe we can make together. Just figuring out the path.

I can get on the same path at Colorado State. When coach Mora left and he called me, he still sees the same vision for me at Colorado State. I am excited to be committed to Colorado State.

Let’s go Rams!!!

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Edgewater 3-star QB Carter Emanuel announces college decision

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