Quite possibly the biggest 'what if?' Michigan State football player in recent memory is getting an NFL opportunity.
Veteran running back Nate Carter is headed to Atlanta as an undrafted free agent signing by the Falcons. He'll be joining former Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, but the Spartan gunslinger lost his starting job to Michael Penix Jr. at the end of the 2024 season.
Nate’s headed to the ATL‼️✍️ pic.twitter.com/k1Hn5sbN2D
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) April 27, 2025
Carter was one of my favorite additions before the 2023 season out of UConn and he showed plenty of promise with the Huskies, rushing for 983 yards and three touchdowns on over 5.0 yards per carry, and it felt like he was going to be Kenneth Walker III lite. Unfortunately, his offensive line just never did him any favors and he had 798 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 and 499 rushing yards and five scores in 2024. Both years he averaged just 4.3 yards per touch.
Those numbers obviously weren't going to blow anyone away, but he had himself an incredible Pro Day with Michigan State, recording a 40-inch vertical, 23 reps of 225, and a 4.37 40-yard dash. All of those would've been good enough to be in the top 2-3 running backs at the NFL Combine.
Why is he one of my biggest 'what if?' players to come through East Lansing? Because it always felt like he was a decent offensive line away from being really, really good.
The talent is there and he'll get a chance to prove that with the Falcons for years to come.