Texas Tech Football: Why McLane Carter is not the popular choice for QB

Carter has no elite skill

Call it the Pat Mahomes effect but Texas Tech fans look at McLane Carter and see no elite physical trait.  We saw in the Texas game that Carter possess a below-average arm which was hard to watch for Red Raider fans that have seen Mahomes, Davis Webb and even Shimonek sling the ball all over the field with ease in recent years.

After watching those gunslingers operate, it can be somewhat jarring to watch Carter deliver the ball with a looping wind-up that sends the ball out of his hand in what feels like slow motion.  But if Carter had another elite skill to fall back on, the collective attitude might be more optimistic.

For instance, no one in the Jett Duffey camp was overly amped about his arm talent but they could not wait to see his elite athleticism on display.  Likewise, people were willing to live with Bowman’s limited mobility because of his elite arm.

But Carter does nothing that excites fans.  Can he run?  Yes.  Is he a game-breaker with his legs?  No.  Is that exciting?  Certainly not.

It is tough to expect people to become excited about a player that is steady but who does nothing at a remarkable level.  However, there is one element of the game that neither Webb, Mahomes, Shimonek or any other Texas Tech quarterback since Harrell in 2008 has mastered and if Carter can become elite at that, it will win over the fan base in short order; winning.

In the end, it doesn’t matter to Kingsbury if the fans are excited about Carter or not.  Winning is more exciting than anything else and if Carter can prove capable of doing that, everyone in scarlet and black will be be quick to jump on the McLane Carter bandwagon.