Zachary Carter to Florida: Gators Land 4-Star DE Prospect

Zachary Carter, a 4-star strong-side defensive end prospect from Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Florida, announced he'll play college football for the Florida Gators.

The 17-year-old broke the news of his decision through Twitter, giving the Gators a boost to their 2017 recruiting class:

Carter is the fourth-best strong-side defensive end, the 20th-ranked player from Florida and the No. 97 overall recruit in the class of 2017, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Although he had only 8.5 sacks across his sophomore and junior seasons, per his 247Sports profile, Carter's potential is evident. There's something to be desired with regard to technique, but he has undeniable explosiveness off the ball and can often beat blockers with sheer lateral quickness.

What helps Carter is his big frame at 6'4 ½" and 250 pounds. He has a massive reach that allows him to disengage blockers with relative ease, and he shows a capacity for knocking the ball down near the line of scrimmage.

With a listed 40-yard-dash time of 4.90, Carter may be better suited to pack on weight and transform into a 3-4 defensive end or slide inside as a tackle in a 4-3 alignment. There is a chance Carter sticks to what he knows best, but Florida has myriad options for a defensive lineman who has some untapped versatility.

Hillsborough showed a variety of defensive alignments on Carter's highlight reel that saw him function at his position in both a 4-3 and a 3-4 scheme. More often, the team lined up in the former, but those exotic tactics hint at an advanced IQ that may have Carter ahead of the curve compared to some of his peers.

Given his standing in the national-recruit hierarchy, it stands to reason Carter is the type of player who'd benefit from a redshirt season and could easily be a big-time playmaker as a sophomore or junior.

It's reasonable to infer one of the chief reasons 247Sports doesn't rank Carter higher is his lack of elite production as a pass-rusher. He does disrupt plenty of plays with batted balls, though, and is an exceptional run defender, which the Gators can capitalize on as Carter begins his career likely in a situational role.

Florida has a relatively high-end prospect in Carter, so fans should be excited even though he isn't bound to be a difference-maker until his second or third year of college. When he is ready to roll, expect Carter to be a solid all-around starter.

Recruit ratings courtesy of 247Sports.