Back in May, Kentucky had to beat out the Auburn Tigers to land four-star safety Martels Carter. Other schools such as Colorado and Louisville were also in the mix, but when it came to decision time, this was a battle between the Wildcats and Tigers.

A few months later, even with Carter committed to Kentucky, that remains the case. Auburn was always expected to fight for Carter until he officially signed on the dotted line with the Wildcats. Now, head coach Hugh Freeze has an extra recruiter helping him out. Quarterback Deuce Knight, a top-50 prospect from the class of 2025, flipped from Notre Dame to Auburn on Wednesday night and immediately put on his recruiting hat.

Shortly after announcing his flip, Knight quickly hopped on a call with Carter. On3’s Phillip Dukes posted a photo on social media of Knight and Carter on FaceTime with each other not long after the decision. Carter is ranked No. 173 overall in his class by the On3 Industry Ranking.

The Kentucky vs. Auburn matchup in Lexington on Oct. 26 carries a little bit more weight now.

One FaceTime call won’t be nearly enough to get Carter to the Plains on its own though. Kentucky has put in the legwork with Carter, extending him an offer all the way back in Nov. 2021 when he was still playing high school football in Tennessee. Carter eventually transferred to Paducah Tilghman in western Kentucky for his junior season in 2023 and is off to a great start with the still-undefeated Blue Tornado as a senior in 2024.

Carter took his official visit to Lexington in June, just a few weeks after committing to the Wildcats. UK offers him an opportunity to stay close to home and play as a true freshman. Both head coach Mark Stoops and associate head coach Vince Marrow were heavily involved in getting Carter to pick Kentucky. It wasn’t a shock by any means to see him pick UK.

But Auburn will continue to make its case between now and Signing Day later this fall. Carter still has an official visit he can take there. After receiving an offer from the Tigers in May 2023, an unofficial visit back in March sparked his interest further. Auburn safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Charles Kelly made him a priority from then on, it just wasn’t enough to land a commitment at the time, but some new juice with Knight on board could alter the momentum.

Also of note, a report from Tom Loy of 247Sports indicates that Carter will take a visit to Vanderbilt this weekend. The Commodores offered him in March 2022.

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