Rhode Island Transfer Antonio Carter Cancels Kentucky Visit

Cross one off the Kentucky football big board. There’s been a change of plans for Rhode Island defensive back Antonio Carter and it’s leaving the Wildcats out of the equation.

Antonio Carter — a 6-foot-1, 200-pound athlete that started at cornerback for Rhode Island over the last two seasons — initially planned on visiting Kentucky this weekend. He also had trips to Texas A&M and Iowa on the docket.

Thanks to a late push from Florida and LSU, those plans have changed. He tells On3’s Matt Zenitz he will now travel to Baton Rouge and Gainesville, which is not too far from where he grew up in Orlando.

“It’s kind of a quick decision I had to make,” Carter said. “Florida’s been my dream school growing up and then they’ve had a history of putting out DBs (defensive backs). They’re going through their struggles right now, but they’ve always been a really good program. LSU as well, always putting DBs in the league, and it’s kind of a business decision for me and I’m willing to go in and compete. 

“And if those visits don’t go well, then I still have schools that I’ve already seen that I like as well.”

In addition to Florida and LSU, Carter will also take an official visit to Notre Dame. He plans on announcing a final decision around May 20.

What Antonio Carter News Means for Kentucky

Considered one of the top uncommitted players in the transfer portal, Kentucky was in a tough spot without any guarantees. If Carter wanted to play cornerback, he’d be competing against two other transfers, JQ Hardaway and Jantzen Dunn, for playing time. The equation is even more complicated at safety where Kentucky has three players who are proven starters — Jordan Lovett, Jalen Geiger and another former spring transfer, Zion Childress.

With a little scholarship capital, Kentucky was going after the best available players in the portal, regardless of need. However, they do still need a linebacker and one visit is still on the horizon. Northern Illinois linebacker Daveren Rayner is expected to be in Lexington tomorrow. He’s also visiting Cincinnati and Texas Tech before making a final decision, but Kentucky appears to be in a good spot.