Legacy receiver Devin Carter ready to make an immediate impact for FSU: “I’m not going to be surprised at what I do because I’ve been working for this”

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Even for legacy recruits, Florida State’s freshman wide receiver Devin Carter’s blood runs thick with garnet and gold.

Carter’s father, Dexter Carter Sr., played at FSU for four seasons, 1986-89, and coached under Bobby Bowden in his final years as head man for the Seminoles from 2007-09, right around when Devin was born.

Going into his freshman year of high school, Carter, an Atlanta native, went to a Mike Norvell camp and left with an offer. Less than a year later, he committed to FSU in the summer ahead of FSU’s ACC championship season, and it seemed set in stone that the son of the former Seminole All-American would make his way to Tallahassee and follow in his footsteps.

Except, it was not that easy.

As Carter’s recruitment started to grow, so did the offers from top programs around the country, and in January 2024, he decommitted from Norvell’s program. Four days later, he earned an offer from Ohio State. As the offers started to come in for the now-junior in high school, one school caught his eye, and in January 2025, Carter committed to Auburn.

However, Norvell and FSU would not go away easily, and the coaching staff continued to stay on Carter, culminating in an official visit heading into his senior year. Even though Carter took an official visit to Auburn a week after Florida State, his time in Tallahassee stayed in his mind enough to flip back to Florida State and commit to the Noles, this time, for good.

“(Coach Norvell) is always going to keep pushing. He’s going to let you know the next step. I like it when he talks about response. You’re going to go through a bunch of things in life, but it’s about how you respond.”

Carter was able to early enroll, and once he arrived on campus, he made sure to find one man: Duce Robinson. Robinson, also the son of a former Seminole great, became FSU’s first 1,000-yard receiver this decade and returned to school for his senior season to try to establish himself as one of the best wideouts in the country. While Carter and Robinson have different play styles, the freshman realized right away that he needed to emulate the senior’s ways as much as possible.

“I think we got the best role model that a young receiver could have in the room,” he said. “He’s gonna help you watch film, he’s gonna help you understand certain things, he’s gonna help you understand what defenses are trying to do to you, he’s gonna help you understand the playbook, and when you’re on the field he’s gonna push you. If you drop a ball, he’s going to be on you, because that’s not what we do in the receiver room. Having Duce is a push — you got to live to a certain standard, and Duce won’t let you go below that standard. I love that for us. It’s going to make us better.”

Clearly, Carter took those lessons from Robinson to heart. The freshman always had the physical tools to play right away, standing 6-foot-1 and running a sub-11 second 100-meter dash as a two-sport athlete in high school, but his ability to quickly acclimate to the college game caught Norvell’s attention throughout spring camp, practices and scrimmages included: “We have high expectations for him.”

“Devin has come in with maturity,” he said. I’ve watched him for years, I’ve seen him grow up. Nothing he’s doing surprises me. Tremendous versatility, continuing to grow and get stronger with each day, but the mental side of the game, he embraces that understanding. He catches the ball well. I’m really pleased there.“

Later on in the spring, he made it even clearer: “Devin Carter and [fellow freshman receiver] Jasen Lopez, they’re going to play. They would have to almost regress from where it is right now.”

Offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach Tim Harris Jr.’s media availability also echoed the same sentiment.

“Everyone talks about wanting to come in and be an instant-impact player,” he said. “How the spring lined up for us was that we were able to give a lot of those young guys the opportunity to see if that was just lip service or if you were really about that. A couple of those guys did a really good job of taking advantage of opportunity.”

However, Carter always had the self-belief that he could contribute when he set foot on campus, and the coaching staff has given him the chance to do just that.

“I came in knowing what I could do, as long as I worked hard and did what the coaches asked me. It’s a good feeling to be able to have the opportunity to make plays like I’m having right now. All I’m going to do is capitalize on those opportunities, and I’m not going to be surprised at what I do because I’ve been working for this.

“I’m ready for it, for whatever opportunity comes, and I’ll take advantage of it.”

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