Not a tOSU recruit but tOSU related...
Dispatch
Georgie Carpenter carves out own niche
Lancaster running back seeks winning legacy to set himself apart
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Steve Blackledge
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Georgie Carpenter (1) worked hard in the offseason to become the Golden Gales? feature back.
He?s not the tallest, strongest or fastest member of Lancaster?s most prominent football family, but Georgie Carpenter will be satisfied with bragging rights.
"I really want to be able to say that I was on the greatest team in Lancaster history," the Golden Gales senior running back said. "It?s a personal thing for me. It?s only natural that I want to be better than them at something."
His older brother, Bobby, starred at Ohio State and now is a rookie linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys. Jonathan is a sophomore linebacker for the University of Cincinnati. And the youngest of the clan, freshman Nathan, is a backup running back for Lancaster?s varsity.
But Georgie most often is compared with his father, Lancaster coach Rob Carpenter, who rushed for 4,363 yards in a 10-year NFL career with the Houston Oilers, New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams.
"A lot of people say we?re alike, not only in the way we run the football but in personality," Georgie said. "I guess I should take that as a compliment, but I?d better steer away from saying anything about that. No kid wants to hear that he?s just like his dad."
Although Rob Carpenter joked that he?s "a little nuts sometimes," he admitted that he sees a bit of Georgie in himself.
"When my parents see our games, they always comment that Georgie reminds them of me when I was that age," he said. "He has a similar running style ? the lateral quickness, the peripheral vision, the cutback ability ? that I did. Off the field, compared to his three brothers, he?s sort of a loner and doesn?t like to chitchat a whole lot ? kind of like me."
But with college recruiters placing a greater emphasis on the ideal size, 40-yard dash time and physical build, Georgie ? at 5 feet 10 1 /2 and 205 pounds ? is finding his recruitment to be more of a challenge than his father did. Georgie said Ohio University, Akron, Marshall and Cincinnati top his list. Some programs envision him playing strong safety or outside linebacker.
"I was standing with (late Northwestern coach) Randy Walker at Ohio State?s Nike combine and I thought Georgie performed very well," Rob Carpenter said, "but Randy kept commenting that he wasn?t as big as this kid or as fast as that kid. I finally asked Randy, who played in the same backfield with me at Miami, if he would have recruited me today. He laughed and said probably not. The nature of recruiting today, with all the oneback offenses, is all about how fast you get into the end zone. The guys like Georgie, who do a lot of things well, tend to get overlooked."
Perhaps not as talented as any of his brothers (fleet-footed Nathan already is drawing raves), Georgie added 15 to 20 pounds and dropped his 40 time to 4.6 seconds between his junior and senior seasons.
He has rushed for 1,319 yards on 187 carries (a 7.1-yard average) with 21 touchdowns for the Golden Gales (10-0), who will play host to Gahanna (7-3) in a regional quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Saturday.
"He?s the hardest worker of the four boys," Rob Carpenter said. "Georgie made quite an adjustment switching from wingback, which is mostly a blocking role, to becoming the featured back as fullback this year. I?m really proud of what he has achieved for this team."
Georgie grew closer to eldest brother Bobby when they conditioned together in the offseason. But he and Jonathan, who operate a landscaping/lawn-mowing business together, also have a special bond. He finds himself mentoring Nathan more often now.
"Anyone who thinks I?ve got it tough following in the footsteps of Dad and my older brothers should think about Nathan," Georgie said. "It?s that much tougher for him. Having been there myself, I feel like I can give him advice on things."
Barring any type of breakdown...he will be as heavily recruited as his brother Bobby IMO.
