By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
A large portion of Southside High’s football success during
the past two seasons has been the play of offensive lineman Tyler Carr.
Now the four-star recruit takes his skills to Auburn
University, with which he signed on Dec. 4.
Carr, who is 6-5 and 315 pounds, committed early to Auburn
in late June and held true to that commitment.
“I wanted to keep my word,” he said. “To me,
making a commitment means you’re going there.”
Part of the reason for the early commitment was to get
recruiters from other schools to quit calling him. Another part is that Carr is
a lifelong Auburn fan. However, around 10 colleges offered him.
Carr’s verbal commitment ended an almost two-year recruiting
process, as he considered offers from at least 20 Division I football programs,
including several from the Southeastern Conference.
“I went on some visits to see what other schools had to
offer,” Carr said. “But none of them could outdo Auburn.”
As far as he knows, Carr will remain an offensive lineman.
That is the position that Auburn recruited him as.
Southside went 9-3 this season and made it to the second
round of the Class 6A state playoffs. A Class 5A All-State first team selection
in 2012 and 2013, Carr helped the 2013 Panthers win
their first region title in 33 years and gain a berth in the state semifinals.
Southside went undefeated in the regular season and a won school-record 13
games. Along the way, Carr did not allow a quarterback sack.
“There’s no way to say quickly what Tyler has meant to our
program,” Southside football coach Ron Daugherty said. “And it’s not
just on the field … character, work ethic, all of those words that coaches
like to be able to say about a kid – well, all of them fit Tyler. My mind rolls
when I try to think of ways to describe his play and his character.”
Carr will play in the Alabama-Mississippi game on Dec. 13. He is considering construction science and business as potential majors at Auburn.
“I trust God to give me direction and I felt that [Auburn]
was where He wanted me to be,” said Carr. “You really have to trust your gut
feelings for a lot of things. I think that the whole [Auburn] coaching staff
supported me, and I really felt at home. I’m just going to work hard and show
them what I can do and improve on my skills and see where it takes me. I’m very thankful for the blessings that God has bestowed
on me. I also want to thank my parents and grandparents and brother for being
with me through thick and thin. I’ve also been blessed with a great coaching
staff and teammates who’ve pushed me every day to be the best I could be.”
Chris McCarthy contributed to this story.