After decommitting from Florida State on Jan. 22, four-star WR and FSU legacy athlete Devin Carter kept things quiet. It wasn't until he returned to Tallahassee for an unofficial visit in April that he explained why he had made the decision.
It was not shocking to hear that Carter simply wanted to get the most out of his recruiting process and make sure he was making the right decision.
"Just to take things slower and enjoy the process a little bit more," Carter told the Osceola in April. "Nothing against Florida State, but I just needed to take a step back and take a look at all my options."
Following that visit, Carter went on a spree of visits around the country as he took in spring practices at various programs, including Ohio State, Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and LSU.
Carter was invited to participate in the Rivals Five-Star camp in Jacksonville on June 26. And while he didn't participate due to a recent surgery, he did speak with the Osceola about how he is enjoying the process a few months removed from that flurry of visits.
"I'm learning a lot about other schools and Florida State, too," Carter said. My head is in a great place with this recruiting process. I'm taking it slow but you can't take it too slow because everything comes around fast. I'm building relationships with everybody. Me and Florida State are as close as we were when I was committed, and I'm just going to keep building that relationship with Coach (Mike) Norvell, Coach (Ron) Dugans and Coach (Alex) Atkins."
It's a common message from Norvell that he wants prospects to be absolutely sure that Florida State is where they want to be and to enjoy their recruiting process. That message is exactly what he told Carter.
"He wasn't worried about me decommitting," Carter said. "He was just looking forward to our relationship and I'm looking forward to it also. He knows that they are still on my radar and I'm still on their radar. It's a mutual relationship — I love it."
Florida State, of course, has been a part of Devin's life for as long as he could remember as a legacy athlete (his dad, Dexter Carter, played at FSU from 1986-89 as well as in the NFL from 1990-96). But getting to know Norvell has allowed Carter to take a new perspective on his relationship with the Seminoles.
"When he (Norvell) first got to Florida State, he didn't know who I was but I knew who he was," Carter said. "And over the years after the offer, me and him got real close. I just like our bond, for real. I'm looking forward to seeing where it takes us. Florida State is one of those schools for me."
Apart from the Seminoles, Oklahoma and LSU are schools that have stuck out to Carter early in the process. They have been "hard" on Carter in terms of their pursuit of the Douglas County (Ga.) receiver.
Ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the entire 2026 class, Carter wants to find schools that he can trust to get him to where he wants to be. That destination, or end goal, is a first-round NFL receiver.
Carter will soon drop a top 15 schools that he will be focusing on, trimming the list down from 35 schools. Carter is done with summer visits but intends to return to Florida State in the fall and see multiple games, as he did last season.
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