Michigan State football: Jim Mora takes subtle shot at Nathan Carter

Nathan Carter starred at UConn before transferring to Michigan State football. But Jim Mora still took a shot.

Did Jim Mora take a shot at Michigan State football running back Nathan Carter? You be the judge.

The constant fluidity of rosters in college football due to the transfer portal is something every program has to deal with. It can be tough for fan, players and especially coaches when players switch teams.

There’s a myriad of reasons why a player may choose to move to a new program. While it might be hard to swallow, players shouldn’t be criticized for moving to a situation they feel is better for themselves.

Running back Nathan Carter transferred to Michigan State earlier this offseason. He’s already been shown putting up impressive workouts in the weight room. Carter left UConn to come to East Lansing. It appears that current UConn head coach Jim Mora may have been taking a shot at Carter in some of his recent comments.

When talking about his current roster, Mora said:

“We’ve had a couple leave but nothing we can’t replace. We haven’t lost a player in the portal that we haven’t replaced with someone better.”

Nathan Carter has taken notice.

Lol.. TGBTG🙏🏾❤️ https://t.co/BsomaTxsAY

— Nathan Carter (@_natecarter5) June 21, 2023

While it’s certainly understandable that a head coach would want to put as positive a spin on their current roster as possible, these comments from Mora seem tone deaf at best.

Carter only suited up for four games for the UConn Huskies due to sustaining a season ending injury in their game against Michigan. He logged less than four full games but in those games he averaged over 100 rushing yards per game.

Mora didn’t specifically name Carter in his comments but he’s certainly lumped into the group of players in reference. College football can be a brutal sport. A player that sustained an injury shouldn’t also be subjected to this type of analysis from his former coach.

UConn likely didn’t get the best version of Carter. He needs more reps to continue to round into his potential. Now with a likely chip on his shoulder, Michigan State and their fans will be the ones that get to see that potential realized.