Michigan State running back Nate Carter has found an NFL home, as MSU announced Carter has agreed to sign with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent.
Carter played high school ball at Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester, New York. He was a 5.3-rated two-star prospect who committed to the University of Connecticut in the fall of 2019. UConn did not compete in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Carter saw the field early and often in 2021 during his freshman season in Storrs.
In 2021, he led the Huskies in rushing with 578 yards rushing on 125 carries. Carter got off to an even better start as a sophomore in 2022, racking up 405 yards on 65 carries before suffering a shoulder injury in the fourth game of the season.
In December of 2022, Carter entered the transfer portal, and within two weeks, he was packing his bags for East Lansing. Carter would ultimately play two seasons for Michigan State in 2023 and 2024.
As a Spartan, Carter started 22 games over two years, rushed for 1,297 yards and had 276 yards as a receiver out of the backfield. He amassed nine touchdowns on the ground and two through the air during his tenure in East Lansing. He had four career 100-yard rushing games as a Spartan, including a 118-yard, one touchdown performance at Michigan in 2024.
Carter was not invited to the NFL combine this year, but he did get the opportunity to shine at Michigan State's annual Pro Day on March 13.
He recorded a 40-inch vertical leap, which would have been second highest for running backs at the combine. Carter completed 23 reps on the bench press (better than any back at this year's combine) and his broad jump of 10-feet-8-inches would have been good enough for fifth place.
Perhaps most importantly, his reported 40-yard dash time of 4.37 seconds at Michigan State's Pro Day would have been second only to Bhayshul Tuten of Virginia Tech (4.32 seconds).
"It was amazing to just be able to come out here and see my teammates, see family and friends cheering," Carter said about his experience at pro day back in March, via MSU Athletics. "I think everyone that performed today did an amazing job. We put the work in for three months for this one day. We knew the opportunity was going to be ahead of us, and I believe we all did our jobs to show out. It's a blessing to see Spartan Nation be around us as we were doing that."
Now that Carter has found an NFL team, he still has work to do to secure a spot on the Falcons' roster. He will join a backfield that currently includes Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Jase McClellan, Elijah Dotson and Carlos Washington Jr.
Michigan State also saw offensive guard Luke Newman get drafted by the Chicago Bears and kicker Jonathan Kim agree to sign with the Bears as an undrafted free agent.
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