FSU's Tank Carradine finally where he belongs

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Everything worked out well for Florida State’s Tank Carradine in the end. How he got there? Not so much.

Carradine was a talented defensive end who was receiving attention from Division I schools while he was at Cincinnati’s Taft High. But his academics prevented him from qualifying, so he instead opted to play for Butler (Kan.) Community College. It was a junior college powerhouse that is known for success on the field and annually producing Division I talent.

But it wasn’t where he wanted to be. He saw his friends playing Division I football on TV. And he was in El Dorado, Kan., for two years because he was forced to get his associate of arts degree before moving on to a Division I program.

“I was mad the whole time I was there,” Carradine said. “Everyone used to tell me I could play at the Division-I level. All my friends went Division I, and I went to junior college. …

“I was mad at myself that I didn’t take academics seriously (in high school). It bothered me a lot. I told myself that I’m going to go in, I’m going to do what I need to do and I’m going to get out of here.”

He played mad or determined. Or maybe both. But the results were staggering for a defensive end — Carradine had 90 tackles as a freshman, 119 as a sophomore and finished his junior-college career with 26 sacks.

The Division I schools were back. With his two-year degree in hand, Carradine chose Florida State over Alabama, Georgia and South Florida. He enrolled early in January 2011 and made an immediate impact.

Carradine showed what he could do as a backup to Bjoern Werner in 2011. He had 38 tackles and 5.5 sacks as a junior. But when All-America defensive end Brandon Jenkins suffered a season-ending foot injury in the opener against Murray State, Carradine had some very large shoes to fill.

How much of a drop-off would there be from Jenkins to Carradine? As it turned out, very little at all.

“Tank was a monster,” Florida State linebacker Vince Williams said. “We used to tell people all the time. People can only go off what they see. We used to see him in practice, and he was ridiculous. The fact that he was unheard of until Brandon Jenkins’ tragic injury, that’s even crazier.”

It was Jenkins who was perceived to be a potential first-round NFL Draft pick. And now the same is being said about Carradine, who is tied for the team lead in tackles (64) and leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in sacks (nine).

Carradine is coming off a five-tackle performance against Duke and followed it up with a 11-tackle day vs. Virginia Tech. It’s typical to see a linebacker pile up tackle numbers like that, but not a 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end.

“His effort is ridiculous,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. “Tank’s got a motor.”

Carradine is fast and powerful, but it is that motor that might separate himself from other defensive ends. And he has instincts to read the blocks and quickly see how a play is unfolding, whether he’s chasing the quarterback or a ball carrier.

“It’s always been natural,” Carradine said. “I feel like I’ve been playing football for a long time. Sometimes when I see blocks, it’s like I’ve seen it before, so I just know how to react.”

And after a year as a backup, he’s closing in on one of the best pass-rushing seasons in FSU history. Along with Werner, who has eight sacks, both are on pace for a spot on the top-10 single-season sack list.

They would need to hit 11 sacks to earn a spot in the top 10 all-time, on the same list as players like Peter Boulware, Andre Wadsworth, Reinard Wilson and Jamal Reynolds (all of whom were first-round draft picks)

There’s a good chance that Carradine and Werner will add to their totals Saturday at Maryland, which is starting fifth-string quarterback Shawn Petty, a converted linebacker. A win over the Terrapins would give Florida State the Atlantic Division title — and another game for the duo to add to their sack totals.

The numbers hold meaning to Carradine because he’s finally accomplishing what he wanted four years ago: to succeed at the Division I level. But he prefers to focus on the opportunity for the team to reach its goals.

“I’m more about winning the ACC championship and playing in a good bowl,” Carradine said. “You hear people tell you about (the numbers) but I try to be humble. I try not to let any of that get in the way.”