Carson is ready to make the most of his last chance

After three years at Texas and a year playing at FCS Western Illinois, Georgia Tech defensive tackle Daniel Carson is valuing his opportunity on the Flats to make the most out of his talent on the field. Carson was a top 30 defensive lineman in the 2018 recruiting class, but he managed to see the field only four times in three years at Texas. He actually played in two different seasons in one year for the Leathernecks playing in the odd covid-related spring season and then the fall, but even his production at Western Illinois wasn't up to his own standards.

Carson arrived at Tech with a clean slate working under defensive tackles coach David Turner.

"Honestly coming to Georgia Tech has been amazing," Carson said. "A lot of the guys welcomed me with open arms and I can honestly say that it has been a great experience being here. I'm really just happy to be here and I haven't had the chance to say that yet. I'm really happy to be here and to work with these guys."

The path to Tech was a pretty straightforward one as the Jackets needed to add another defensive tackle body after losing a Memphis transfer commit Morris Joseph Jr. on a flip to Auburn.

"A couple of months ago I got a call from Georgia Tech that they wanted to offer me and that they wanted to get me down here and stuff like that," he said. "At first I was hesitant because it was going to mean that I would be far from my family (in Missouri), but I knew if I wanted to make that next step and get to the next level this is the place I needed to be at with coach Collins and his staff and these guys on the defense and offense."

Turner's role with Carson has been to push him to live up to the potential that made him a national recruit out of high school.

"Working with coach Turner, every day he is going to push you past your limits and past where you cannot push yourself by yourself," Carson said of his position coach. "He is always going to hold you accountable and it has been amazing to have him as a coach and as an older guy with so much knowledge of the game. I'm just trying to soak it all up."

Midway through camp, Turner said he saw the light start to come on for Carson.

"Daniel Carson is starting to settle in and understand the terminology and understand my teaching and what we are trying to get done," Turner said during his media avail last week. "I saw him take a jump and hopefully we can keep building on that."

A familiar face also helped Carson make the adjustment, cornerback Kenyatta Watson II played with Carson at Texas and the pair bonded in Austin and rekindled their friendship on the Flats.

"Kenyatta came in my sophomore year at Texas and we were pretty cool when he got there and we've been talking ever since we've both been here about our experiences and stuff like that. It is amazing to see how different it is at Georgia Tech compared to the different programs I've been at," he said. "It is amazing to me after being here just two months the way I feel about Georgia Tech and being here."

Carson believes the unexpected path that led him to Georgia Tech has just been part of the process to get him where he needs to go. He is not bitter or stuck in the past, he is just focused on the future and his goals.

"I feel like all the places that I've been I needed to go to no matter how bad I thought it was at the time looking back on it," he said. "It set me up to be here and to able to accept all that and be here with these guys who are good guys that care about you and love you and I really feel like it is a family around here it is not just work. I feel like the staff, the players, and the coaches are really buying in so I think that will pay off."