Paul Carothers of Greater Atlanta Christian School (Norcross, Ga.), signed with the United States Naval Academy on Wednesday. Look inside for a photo and quotes from Carothers.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound inside linebacker committed to Midshipmen on June 26th, 2014, to Navy area recruiter Ashley Ingram.
“I loved the challenge the academy present academically. The football is great. I’ll get to play in the AAC. And I loved the coaches. When I was on campus, Coach Niumatalolo sat down with me and told me that being on the team is more than just about yourself. You’re representing, not just the Naval Academy but also the country. Then he asked me, ‘who is Paul Carothers?’. I told him how I was raised by my parents to be respectful and the type of person I am and he said ‘perfect’.”
Carothers had offers from Air Force, Appalachian State, Army, Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, and VMI.
“The coaches said I have great size. They were impressed with how fast I was on my junior highlight film and that I could really hit hard. They said, ‘you run through kids’. Off the field, I’m nice, but when I’m playing I find a different gear. I turn into an animal, a slobberknocker.”
For his senior year, Carothers was named Defensive Player of the Year for Georgia Region 6AA, Gwinnett County Touchdown Club Kevin Maloof Award for the Player Who Puts Team Above Himself, first team All-State, third team All-Gwinnett County. On the 2014 season, he had 137 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns, and one fumble return for a touchdown for 90 yards. He had 296 tackles for his career. He set a school record for tackles in a game with 26 (22 Solo). He served as team captain and was voted Most Respected Player by his teammates. He played in the annual GACA North-South All-Star Classic Football Game. He’ll begin his Navy career at NAPS next summer.
