Michael Vick May Have Found His QB in USF Transfer Israel Carter
Photo courtesy of Israel Carter’s Instagram (@isr8ael)
Norfolk, VA – If you were anywhere near a football field—or a TV screen—in the early 2000s, you knew what time it was when Michael Vick had the rock. He wasn’t just a quarterback; he was a one-man highlight reel. Deep bombs? Check. Elite acceleration? Check. Jukes that sent defenders flying into another dimension? Absolutely.
Now, as the head coach of Norfolk State, the College Football Hall of Famer may have found a young signal-caller cut from the same cloth. Enter Israel Carter, a transfer from USF who has the tools to bring some of that vintage Vick electricity to the Spartans’ offense.
Standing at 6’1″, 195 pounds, Carter isn’t quite the generational speedster his new coach was in his prime, but don’t let that fool you—he’s a problem in the open field. His athleticism makes defenders hesitate just long enough for him to escape, and when he does, good luck catching him. But that’s just the appetizer. The real dish? Carter’s deep-ball accuracy. When you watch his tape, it’s easy to see why he was a three-star recruit in the 2023 class, holding offers from Arizona State, Oregon, Colorado, Kansas, BYU, Washington State, Tulane, and Hawaii, among others.
Carter didn’t get many opportunities at USF, but when his number was called, he made the most of it. In limited action, he put up 93 yards and two touchdowns on just six passes against Rice and followed that up with 102 yards and two more scores on eight attempts in a 63-30 win over Navy. The arm talent is real, and under a coach who understands the power of an explosive QB, Carter could finally show why ON3 ranked him as the 19th-best quarterback in the country coming out of high school.
If Carter wins the starting job, he’ll be lining up alongside Kevon King, one of the most electric running backs in the MEAC. Together, they could form one of the most dangerous backfields in HBCU football.
Norfolk State needed a spark. They may have just found it in Israel Carter.
This is definitely a storyline to watch in the 2024 HBCU football season—because when a Michael Vick-led team finds its QB, you better believe the fireworks are coming.
