AFL rising star Kahlil Carter may have finally of found a home in Nashville    

            As a returning Second Team All-Arena defensive specialist for the Nashville Kats in 2005, Kahlil Carter is fighting for one thing this season: respect.  Having been on eight teams in his six years of professional football, Carter has had to struggle for every opportunity to play the game he loves.  Unfortunately, he has not always gotten the same love in return.

            In 1998, Kahlil Carter played for the Arkansas Razorback’s football team as a walk on.  However, he soon “got tired of the politics” and constantly having to beat out the players on scholarship, and decided to leave the college and sport he adored to return home to Little Rock and concentrate on his education and his new wife.

            The football bug bit Carter again in 2000 when the af2 came to Little Rock.  The Arkansas Twisters, led by coach John Jenkins, recruited many former Arkansas Razorback players to join the team.  Although he knew many of the players from his college days, Carter still “felt like an outsider looking in”.  He went to every tryout and workout, but felt as though the Twisters were looking for more experienced players.  Despite Carter’s limited experience, the Twisters signed him.  

            In 2000, he was in the first class of af2 players signed to AFL teams.  He had great success during his rookie season in 2001 with the Milwaukee Mustangs.  While rotating between playing quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back, he saw action in all 14 games. He was shocked at the end of the season when no NFL team came knocking at his door to play for them. “As much as I loved football, it seemed like football didn’t love me back.  I wondered if I would ever get a legitimate shot.”

            It seemed as though Kahlil would finally get his chance to play in the NFL in 2003 when he went to Buffalo to workout with the Bills.  Having paid his own way to travel there, Carter was determined to make an impact on the coaches’ minds, and make his time there worthwhile.  Despite his good showing at the workouts, Carter was frustrated when he did not hear from them.  Carter, understandably disappointed, returned to the AFL to play for the Orlando Predators. However, when training camp was set to start, Carter got the call he was waiting for from the Buffalo Bills.  Taking the necessary steps through the AFL and his coach in Orlando, he was waived from arena football and allowed to sign with the NFL.  He eventually signed a two-year deal with NFL Europe to play for the Scottish Claymores.  But Carter’s dream of playing in the NFL came to another halt when the Claymores soon folded. 

            In 2003, Carter revisited the af2 and the Arkansas Twisters with a chip on his shoulder.  Although he knew the coaching staff very well, and the staff had confidence in his ability to call the shots, Carter still was discouraged that despite the consistent numbers he has put up in the stats columns, no team seemed to want to pay him the money he thought he deserved.  “It seemed like everyone had forgotten that I was an AFL player and that I was injury free and had never missed a game due to injury.  I knew I had something to prove.”  While playing to prove to his critics that he belonged in the AFL, Kahlil won af2 Defensive Player of the year and set a record with 14 regular season interceptions.

            Kahlil Carter eventually signed with coach Pat Sperduto and the Nashville Kats in 2004.  Speaking praise of Sperduto, Carter says he loves playing for Nashville.  “Pat is the coach you’ve always wanted.  He’s charismatic, disciplined and a family-first type of guy, which is important to me.”  Although he knows a lot of younger players are gunning for his position, 29-year-old Carter aims to prove them wrong and maintain his spot on the No. 1 ranked defense in the AFL.  Nashville has brought a lot of great players together and returning to the Kats for the 2006 season will allow Carter to “blossom under a system [he’s] familiar with. If I could, I’d never leave.”  Under the Kats system in 2005, Carter was thrilled and grateful to be named Second Team All-arena.  He also finished tied for second in the league with seven interceptions in only 12 games at defensive specialist. 

            Although some players, knowing they have a team to return to next season, take time off to relax during the off-season, Carter has not stopped training.  Steady workouts of running, lifting, yoga and pilates have allowed him to maintain his top physical form and be in the best position to excel during the upcoming season.  Carter continues to look for every opportunity to sharpen his skills. 

At the end of September 2005, he was offered the chance to play the remaining games for the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts.  “I view it as a challenge to see if I can conquer another league.”  Carter officially signed with Argonauts on October 5, 2005.  He says that Toronto has a great team, a great family atmosphere up there, and that Toronto should definitely be in contention to win the Grey Cup.  While in good standing with Nashville, Kahlil looks forward to finishing the season with Toronto and then returning to Nashville to play the 2006 season with the Kats.  He anticipates future years of doubling up with the CFL and the AFL.

            Throughout his career, Kahlil Carter has played for numerous teams and in numerous positions.  He has never thrown an imcomplete pass (4 for 4) as a quarterback, but prefers playing defense.  He thinks that quarterbacks get a lot of unnecessary blame for a team’s defeat.  Although there is a lot of force placed on defensive specialists to make the stops, Kahlil prefers that type of pressure.  “Honestly, who likes to be tackled?  I’d rather be the hammer than the nail.”