TE Carnie realizes childhood dream by committing to the Huskers
Like most kids in the state of Nebraska, tight end James Carnie grew up dreaming to one day play for the Huskers.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Firth (Neb.) Norris prospect had those dreams officially come true on Monday as he announced his decision to commit to the Big Red over Iowa and Kansas State among others. While his announcement came today, Carnie says he has privately been committed since the night he first received his offer from NU a little over a week ago.
“It’s been a week since (my commitment) was official. I pretty much didn’t get off the phone without being committed," Carnie said about how his commitment to the Huskers happened. "Well, I guess I kind of lied, Coach Frost offered me and we talked and before he got off the phone with me he told me to call him back if I wanted to be a Husker.
"So when I got off the phone with him I talked with my family a little bit and I called him back about 30 minutes later and told him I wanted to be a Husker. So I guess I did get off the phone the first time not being committed, but I called him back real shortly."
Carnie's final three schools were Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas State. The talented tight end had over 20 total offers to his name by the time he announced his decision publicly. The last offer came from the school he eventually committed to which he said was a mixture of happiness, relief and some frustration.
"The Nebraska offer was obviously the one I always wanted to get, obviously," Carnie said. "They definitely took their time with offering me which was a little frustrating, but also made me feel very excited when it finally happened.
"I mean, I don't know what would have happened if I had never tweeted out that I was announcing my decision on October 12 and kind of setting a deadline. I'm not sure if that forced their hand a little, but I couldn't be happier with being a Husker. Especially since this is something that has been a dream of mine since I can remember."
Prior to the offer, the Huskers had been recruiting Carnie for a variety of positions so one of the first things he was curious about was where Nebraska saw him playing for them. That is when Frost confirmed they were offering as a tight end.
"That's one of the main questions I had when [Nebraska] offered me," Carnie said. "I made sure to ask Coach Frost which position they were recruiting me for. He said tight end and I was obviously happy to hear that. Coach Frost told me that he saw me as a true tight end. He said, 'Look, you're 6-5 and you run a 4.6. That's a tight end for us.'"
Carnie says Frost was happy when he made the call to commit and that it was a bit of an emotional phone call.
"Honestly, I think Coach Frost knew he was going to get me, but he was still very happy when I called to commit," Carnie said. "I was just super excited to do it and, in all honesty, I got a bit emotional when I was telling him I wanted to be a Husker. It's just been a dream of mine since I was 3-years-old."
Carnie now turns his attention to making a deep run into the playoffs as he's helped lead Norris to a 6-1 record on the season. His commitment now gives the Huskers 19 total verbal commitments in its 2021 recruiting class.