How Carter Davis Won Miami's Kicking Job

"We feel like we have two kickers, quite honestly, that's how strongly you feel about them. And people looked at, taking Carter and like, 'Man, that guy was 4-11 at FAU.' It's like, well, that's like looking at a high school film and saying, 'Well, that they haven't won many games. And, you know, he doesn't have much of tackle. Maybe he's out of position.' Why don't you take a deeper dive. What truly is he, and what is he not doing, and what can he do to be a real good player?"

Cristobal continued.

We thought the operation, the processes, could really just elevate his talents," Cristobal said. "Because, as you saw, that ball is out the end zone just about every time, and it just explodes off his foot. But both those guys, him and Bert [Auburn], and I know they're tight, they're just hard work and accountable dudes that want to win, and that competition was close. You know, the edge was slight, but it was there. We went with it, so we trusted it, and it paid off. And all you can trust when you see in practice, right?"

Davis knew that he could win the job even with his journey taking him around the country before landing with the Hurricanes.

“Out of high school it was COVID, the only option for me was JUCO – then I had a reach out at FAU, he was like `we see you have good talent, come in as a punter and kickoff guy,’” Davis said. “I told him I’m also a kicker, if I could stick to kicking that would benefit me and the team. I battled for the field goal job but not everything goes your way. I transferred to Iowa State, didn’t win that job, they told me you can stay but won’t play. I wanted to keep playing so I went back to FAU, did a little bit of field goals, long field goals. After that season that coaching staff was released, so I didn’t want to stick at FAU with a whole new coaching staff. I saw what was out there in the portal and wound up here.”

Now Davis has earned the trust of his teammates and his coaches. It helps his confidence and the team's confidence as well.

“Now that I’m the guy, I know the whole team is behind me,” Davis says. “It’s not just `Oh, he has a big leg.’ It’s `He has the potential, let him be great.’”