Eastern Washington safety Drew Carter manages ‘ups and downs’ of playing high-leverage position

As far as momentum-swinging plays go, Drew Carter’s fumble recovery last weekend was about as meaningful as they come.

Gunning down the Eastern Washington sideline to cover a punt, Carter stationed himself in front of Incarnate Word punt returner Josh Lorick, stopped when he saw Lorick wave for a fair catch – and then pounced on the ball when Lorick fumbled it.

“I was thinking, honestly, what if something happens? That’s our technique,” Carter said Tuesday. “So I was thinking, I’m the first gunner, secure the kick. And what do you know? It popped out.”

But Carter, who played more snaps than most of his teammates because of his dual roles on special teams and defense, also admitted that in the 31-21 loss to Incarnate Word, he missed four tackles.

“I am trying to work on that a little bit more,” Carter said.

Carter, a redshirt junior who graduated from Lake Stevens High School in 2022, could characterize his entire Eastern Washington career in much the same way as he could his performance on Saturday: some good, some bad.

“There’ve been ups and downs for sure,” Carter said. “Definitely ups and downs.”

But right now Carter is on one of those ups – hopefully for the long haul as the Eagles prepare to play at Boise State on Friday night at Albertsons Stadium with Carter once again listed as a starting safety.

“I think he’s exactly what college football is all about,” EWU safeties coach Zach Bruce said of Carter. “He’s always been the player he looked like on Saturday, but now he’s a guy the other guys start turning to. He’s a good influence on the safeties, and he’s becoming a better student of the game.”

Bruce has been at Eastern as a coach for the last six years and played safety at Eastern from 2012 to 2016, so he is familiar with the position, with the program and with Carter, someone he has coached for four years.

Carter’s talent was never an issue, Bruce said. But the process was, and often that has led to Carter’s execution in games coming up short. Case in point: Saturday, when Carter was credited with 11 tackles and could have, by his own estimation and Bruce’s, had four more.

“He could have had an elite game,” Bruce said.

Yet even with that critique, Bruce gushes about Carter, just as he does about all of the team’s safeties.

Jaylen Jenkins “could be the best nickel in our league,” Bruce said. True freshman Bryce Smith is “super mature and ready to play.”

It is a group that is now without its most senior player in grad student McKel Broussard, who started last week but left with a hand injury and is not on the depth chart for Friday’s game against Boise State.

The Eagles also don’t have All-Big Sky player Derek Ganter Jr. anymore this season, after he transferred over the summer – to Boise State, where he is listed as a second-string safety this week.

The rest of the EWU secondary is young, too, especially because senior cornerback DaJean Wells, a team captain and preseason all-conference selection, did not play last week and is not listed on the current two deep. The two starters there are redshirt freshman Jonathan Landry and redshirt freshman Ambrose Marsh.

But age is not the same as maturity, something EWU head coach Aaron Best pointed out on Tuesday.

“I think we have more maturity than we had,” Best said. “I think that the sideline feel (Saturday) was different. We’re on the path to greater maturity, even though we’re a much younger team. Maturity isn’t just age. Sometimes it’s experience. Sometimes it’s how you’re wired. But a lot of it is how you handle situations, especially when things don’t go your way.”

That is also an apt description of Carter’s four years at Eastern. As a true freshman, Carter played in three games – preserving his redshirt – and made seven tackles. In 2023, he played in 11 games, started three and broke up three passes in Eastern’s double-overtime loss to Fresno State.

“After that Fresno game, PFF (Pro Football Focus) had him rated as one of the best safeties in the country,” Bruce said.

Then, as a redshirt sophomore in 2024, Carter played in 11 games but didn’t start and had just nine tackles.

In all, he’s played in 26 games for the Eagles, easily making him one of the most experienced players on the team.

As the Eagles prepare to play the only FBS team on their schedule this season, Carter said he is not preparing any differently than if this were a Big Sky opponent. He said the team’s mood is good, and that he expects both teams to come out hot.

“We’re all the same age, the same type of guys and we can all compete,” Carter said. “I don’t view it differently. Shoot, they’re bigger, but we’ve got the speed, the physicality and the mindset. … We’re ready to go.”