Prospect Spotlight: Carter Otto – Elk River (2021)

I tend to watch a lot of high school kids’ hudl.com film writing for prepredzone.com. I have not been counting, but over the years, the number of highlight videos I have watched is well into triple digits. None of those videos instantly grab your attention like Elk River’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="18048" first="Carter" last="Otto"]</strong>’s film. After watching the hudl.com ad for the hundredth time – spoiler alert, vaping is bad for you – Otto’s film launches right into the final play of their 2019 state 5A quarterfinal game. With one second to go, needing a touchdown to win, the Elks needed to go 58 yards. With shades of the Minneapolis Miracle, Otto caught a pass in heavy traffic, broke free andscored a walk-off touchdown to send the Elks to the state 5A semi-finals. "That was a once in a lifetime experience, Otto said. "I came out of the backfield and ran straight down the seam. I didn’t even know what to do for a celebration. I got tackled by some teammates and couldn’t breathe on the bottom of the pile. I got a bunch of random hugs from a bunch of parents." Even if Otto did not come down with that catch, the Elks had another outstanding season. "It was a great year. I think that is the fourth year in a row we have made it to State. I have been a part of two of them now. This year, a lot of our games were close. It would come down to the end, and we pushed through, and we ended the season strong." The team would fall one game short of the Prep Bowl but finished with an 11-2 record. "We pound the rock," Otto said. "On defense, we were usually able to stop the run and get after the quarterback." Otto was an impact player on both sides of the ball. "I had over 2000 total yards and 20 touchdowns. I don’t think any high school guy is going to tackle me one on one. I get downhill fast and hit the hole hard. I took on the job of defense this year. I wouldn’t consider myself a running back or a linebacker. I would consider myself an athlete." As a sophomore, Otto started at running back and halfway through the season, started at defensive back. "The transition to defensive back worked pretty good for where I am now at middle linebacker," the 6’0" 205-pound soon to be senior said. "Moving to defensive back, I got my hips looser and became more fluent in the coverage game. As a junior, I was usually the strongside outside linebacker and would move to middle linebacker in some situations. I can read run or pass quickly. I think the best part of my game is my blitzing." His hips continue to be an area of improvement. "I have been working on my shiftiness as a running back," Otto explained. "I have been working on loosening my hips and becoming more agile." "I was lifting and running this winter," Otto continued. "I focused on getting bigger and stronger. This spring, I would have been a sprinter on the track team. (Instead) I tried to work on my speed and flexibility." Otto has been on many programs’ minds. "Recruiting has been a fun process. I was hoping to pick up some offers at some DI camps, but a lot of those obviously got canceled." Grand View, Southwest Minnesota State, and U Mary have offered Otto. Drake, North Dakota, South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Western Illinois, most of the Northern Sun Conference schools, and Wyoming have been in contact with the Elk. "Some of the schools are recruiting me as an offensive player and some as a defensive player. The bigger schools say they don’t know yet." Otto already has a walk-off experience most athletes dream about, but he is looking to experience more post-season success and a college scholarshi