QB1: Northeastern senior Carson Terrell signs to play football at University of Indianapolis

FOUNTAIN CITY, Ind. — Carson Terrell stood in front of Northeastern High School’s full cafeteria Feb. 1 and started talking. He didn’t yell — he’d done enough of that the previous three football seasons as the Knights’ starting quarterback, hence the raspy voice — and he didn’t have to. The room fell silent as soon as Terrell opened his mouth. That’s QB1 up there, and when QB1 is talking, you listen.

He took control of the room, something the senior did almost as soon as he arrived in Northeastern’s football program. He talked for maybe 20 seconds, just thanking everyone for being there. Then, Terrell sat down and signed his letter of intent to play football at the University of Indianapolis.

“It was stressful deciding what school I wanted to play for and how far I wanted to go,” Terrell said. “I felt like this was the best option for me with the distance, they offered what I wanted and they’re a winning team. That’s exactly what I want, and it fits me the best. I’m going to go up there and compete.”

'Family on 3':From sniffles to smiles, Northeastern football ends season in good spirits

UIndy quickly became one of Terrell’s top choices after his official visit Jan. 22. He said it felt like home.

“The first thing you do is sit there with the team,” Terrell said. “Having the players interact with us, I felt like I already had a deep connection with them, and I wanted to further my four years with them and become a brotherhood.”

He got the call, offer included, the following Wednesday right after finishing a workout, and he made his verbal commitment that Thursday.

The stress and weight of his college recruitment is now off Terrell’s shoulders. He carried a different kind of weight throughout his record-breaking senior football campaign, the kind loaded with expectations from fans to perform and trust from coaches and teammates to do his job, but none of it seemed to matter.

Terrell rewrote the Northeastern record books last fall, setting new program single-season passing marks in completions (129), completion percentage (60.28), yards (2,331) and touchdowns (30). He also broke the single-game passing records for completions (18), yards (349) and touchdowns (5). All of that led to the Knights’ first Tri-Eastern Conference championship since 2019 and their sixth in the last decade.

'We were special':Northeastern football’s success defined by brotherhood

That’s why fans, whenever they saw No. 7 in green and yellow lead his team out of the locker room and onto the field, started chants of “QB1.”

But it’s everything else that earned him the respect of his teammates and coaches, behind-the-scenes things that made him the only player to be voted a two-time team captain by his peers and “one of few” like him to ever come through the program in head coach Wes Oler’s 11 years at Northeastern.

“That speaks volumes of what kind of leader he was in the locker room, what he’s doing with other kids when coaches aren’t looking and how much they respect him,” Oler said. “A lot of it is he just led by example. ‘I’m going to carry you guys as far as I can, and I’m not going to leave any doubt as far as if I worked hard enough.’”

Earlier:Northeastern football ready to ‘show the county what we’re made of’ against Centerville

Once Terrell won Northeastern’s starting quarterback job in 2020 as a sophomore, his demeanor changed. He became obsessed with improving his craft and doing everything he possibly could to get himself to the next level.

He started making regular hour-long trips to Anderson to work with Justin Rummell, owner of Throwback Athletics and Earlham College’s record-holder in every single-season and career passing category. He attended “countless” camps and showcases. He put together highlight tape after highlight tape of his games to show he could fit the framework of different schools’ structures.

“I made sure I had my goals down,” Terrell said. “I would work in the offseason, and not many people would know what I was doing. I just worked in silence and let the success show on the field.”

Even Oler was a member of the club that didn’t know everything Terrell was doing. Not that he needed to know; his star quarterback — the one who transformed Northeastern’s traditionally run-heavy offense into a passing juggernaut — got better week after week. Who cares how he did it?

“I think the word is intrinsically motivated. You don’t have to get after him to get him to refocus or put in the extra effort. He just does it himself,” Oler said. “He probably did stuff that I don’t even know about that made him better when he showed up on the field.”

That, Oler said, is why Terrell will succeed at UIndy. Ever since Terrell got the offer, he’s been thinking of ways to get a head start on preparation for next fall. He’s even trying to get ahold of UIndy’s playbook to get some mental reps in before he graduates.

“That’s a choice every college athlete has,” Oler said. “You get there, and it’s just 24/7 football. It’s basically a job. You’re spending way more time each week than you ever have. You have to make that decision whether you’re going to commit to that, and it’s your kind of thing and you’re going to do what you have to do to work your way up and get playing time, or a lot of kids realize it’s too hard, and they don’t want to do it. I know for a fact Carson is going to get better when he’s there.”

Here comes that intrinsic motivation:

“I’m willing to do it,” Terrell said. “That’s why I want to be a part of it.”

Football is Terrell’s passion and future, but he’s also a standout basketball and baseball player at Northeastern. Jason Terrell, Carson’s dad, said his son has been a three-sport athlete since he started playing football in third grade. Alongside his work ethic, one reason Carson has been so successful is because of his family’s support.

Hoops:Northeastern, Seton opening game is just a preview of both teams’ destined success

Jason said he can probably count on one hand the number of Carson’s games he’s missed since third grade. Carson had 11 offers in total, some as north as Wisconsin and west as Kansas. For the sake of gas money, his parents are happy he chose Indianapolis.

“We’re pleased he’s an hour away,” Jason said with a laugh. “We told him ‘Wherever you go, we’re going to support you. If we have to fly there or drive there, we’ll make it work.’”

Carson has also had plenty of support from his cousins who have gone through the same process. One, Jenna McFarland, is in her sophomore year playing basketball at Indiana Tech. Another, Taylor Farris, is currently a senior at Talawanda High School and committed to play basketball at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville last September.

“I’m blessed,” Terrell said. “I’m very grateful for my family. They’ve always been behind my back throughout all the years of football and any sport I do. They always support me, and I’m very grateful for that. Not only my parents, but my cousins, my aunts, my uncles, my grandparents, everybody.”

All those supporters were there to see Terrell make his commitment official. So were a number of his coaches and teammates of all sports, and everyone wanted a picture with the man of the hour.

He had to cut his celebration shorter than most, though. Basketball practice doesn’t cancel just so he can sign a few papers, but he’d find a way to get his work in even if it did.

Zach Piatt is a reporter for The Palladium-Item. Contact him at zpiatt@gannett.com or on Twitter @zachpiatt13.

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Northeastern QB Carson Terrell to play at University of Indianapolis