Father Ryan DL Drake Carlson chooses Purdue
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BVM) 鈥� Drake Carlson learned from a young age how to be an elite thrower in track and field. The son of a former Tennessee All-American shot putter and a brother to a current thrower at Tiffin University, it is no surprise Carlson excelled in the circle for Father Ryan鈥檚 track and field team. In fact, Carlson just finished his junior year unbeaten in both shot put and discus events, winning the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Division II-AA shot put and discus track and field titles with a throw discus throw of 165 feet, 8 inches and a shot put of 56-3. Despite his elite performances in throwing events, Carlson鈥檚 future won鈥檛 be in track and field, but rather on the gridiron.
鈥淔or me, it will all be in football even though it will hurt once that day comes in high school when track and field are over but I just want to do football,鈥� Carlson admitted.
On June 13, Carlson committed to Purdue football, choosing the Boilermaker over 20 other Division I offers including Duke, Illinois, Mississippi State, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest among others.
鈥淚t feels good finally to have a decision and be able to focus on my senior year and enjoy my friends, teammates and I鈥檓 really excited about going into my final year and in high school too,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淲hat stood out about Purdue is its the best of both worlds. The football is really good and the academics are too.鈥�
COMMITTED, on that TRAIN 馃殏馃殏 @MickWalker247
— Drake Carlson (@Dcarlson_51)
While Carlson is known for his throwing career, his work on the football field is also top notch. A consensus three-star recruit, Carlson was rated as the No. 69 defensive lineman nationally and the No. 18 overall recruit in the state of Tennessee. At 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, Carlson has the frame for Division I Power 5 football.
鈥淲hile he may not have what a lot of the flashier places are looking for in size and behemoth mass and length is what he鈥檚 been since he stepped on campus鈥揳 great coachable kid. Father Ryan head football coach Brian Rector said. You teach him a technique and not only does he understand it and do it, but he practices it on his own. I love guys like him. God gave him some gifts but I can promise you he鈥檚 been working on it the whole time.鈥�
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Carlson was a steady force for the Irish last season. During the year, the junior defensive lineman would record 35 tackles, with eight for loss and three sacks. His performance helped Father Ryan to a 7-5 record and he was named first-team all-district as an offensive and defensive lineman.
鈥淗e has a tone of intelligence and he鈥檚 really good at fundamentals,鈥� Rector said. 鈥淗e has the fundamentals. He鈥檚 nasty, intelligent, tough, I mean all the things you want no kidding.鈥�
鈥淚 will definitely say my name got out there to teams,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淚 would say I improved greatly from sophomore to junior year.
Proud of these young men for their well-earned recognition
— Father Ryan Football (@FRHS_Football)
While Carlson is projected to play on the defensive side of the ball, he has the versatility to play both sides of the ball as well as across both lines. Carlson hopes that this adaptability, coupled with the athleticism shown in his other top sport, will be able to get him on the field in West Lafayette sooner to help the Boilermakers.
鈥淎t high school, I鈥檓 a team player but I really want to take that next step and go to the next level and focus on one side of the ball and I think I鈥檓 going to shoot off,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淚 will have in between possessions and really will be focusing and honing on one specific position which will help me take off.鈥�
Now that his collegiate decision has been made, Carlson will be able to focus on his upcoming senior season. With another summer of work, Carlson will look to help the Irish improve this fall while also showing off his skills with another year of growth.
鈥淸Expect] more of the same and another level up,鈥� Rector said. 鈥淸We want him to] Stay healthy, play both ways as much as we possibly can while keeping him safe and having our team in the best possible opportunity to win games and for him to be a real force on both sides of the ball, like people pop on the film and say, 鈥極K No. 51 is a problem鈥� and I think that will happen.鈥�
As Carlson prepares for his final season, Purdue fans will be happy to hear that the big lineman decided to choose his football prospects rather than follow in his family鈥檚 footsteps in track and field. Hopefully, this elite thrower will be able to use that ability to throw around some opponents when he joins the Boilermakers in 2023.
鈥淓xpect effort, a great motor, somebody making plays in the backfield and wherever chasing them and a good teammate that people can go to,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淢y comment section on Twitter [Purdue fans] have been showing me love so I鈥檓 excited.鈥�