It’s officially game week for Michigan State football as the Spartans prepare to kick off the 2024 season against Florida Atlantic at Spartan Stadium on Friday night (7 p.m. Eastern Time on the Big Ten Network).

Redshirt junior Nate Carter returns to the Spartans as one of the top players in MSU’s running backs room and was voted as a team captain by his teammates, which he says means a lot to him.

“It’s like a dream come true," Carter said about being named a captain. "I grew up in Rochester, New York, not many people know where that is; for me to go to a small private school in Rochester, New York to now be a captain at a big-time program, it’s a huge blessing. I just want to make sure I make the best of my moment that I’m here and impacting my teammates on and off the field and just take advantage of this responsibility.”

Carter joins sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles, offensive center Tanner Miller, linebacker Jordan Turner and defensive tackle Maverick Hansen as MSU's 2024 captains.

Heading into the season, Carter is excited to help rewrite the identity of Michigan State football.

“It’s both excitement and just that mentality of we want to know what Michigan State has been and we know what it can be and we have the opportunity to be able to create a legacy and build on that going forward,” Carter said.

Last season, Carter rushed for 798 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Spartans in both categories. Carter believes he is a smarter player today than he was during the 2023 season. He credits assistant head coach/co-special teams coordinator/running backs coach Keith Bhonapha for his development.

“I’m a smarter player, we have definitely been getting bigger, faster and stronger thanks to Coach Bhonapha,” Carter said. “His offense has done a great job helping me to gain a lot of football knowledge about offenses and reading defenses and things like that. Coach KB has done a great job helping with that. I’d say that the game is a lot more slower for me than ... last year and that’s thanks to the offense and the coaches.”