North's Karsten Miller signs with UNC Charlotte
Wed. February 01, 2012 at 5:24 p.m. | By Mike Duprez
North Davidson’s Karsten Miller (right) accepts congratulations from teammate Thomas Frazier after a Signing Day celebration Wednesday afternoon. Miller signed a national Letter of Intent witj UNC Charlotte earlier in the day. (Photo by Mike Duprez)
WELCOME | Everything was going Karsten Miller’s way heading into the 2011 football season — his senior year.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound quarterback was all-county as a junior and very much on the college recruiting radar.
And then he broke his left femur in a season-opening 21-14 loss to Thomasville. That was the last football game Miller played at North Davidson.
All the disappointment seemed like a distant memory Wednesday when Miller signed a national letter of intent to play for the fledgling UNC Charlotte football program, which launches its first season in 2013 since the sport was dropped in 1948.
The 49ers made an offer to Miller and honored it despite the injury.
“I knew something positive was going to come out of it because if something bad happen, something good has to follow it up,” Miller said. “I just stay faithful. You’ve got to remember Phillippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. I wasn’t too much worried about it.”
Miller showed enough as a junior to draw interest by throwing for 1,833 yards and 16 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He also ran for 301 yards and seven touchdowns. He has the prototypical quarterback size and a strong arm.
Charlotte coach Brad Lambert and offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen are former long-time assistants at Wake Forest. Mullen spent the last three years at West Virginia. Both schools showed interest in Miller and that continuity carried on even after Miller got hurt.
“That was one of the things we were very pleased with,” said North coach Mark Holcomb. “They told us they were going to work something out for him. They’ve got a great staff. We felt real comfortable with them.”
The leg is also healed.
“It’s good now,” Miller said. “I’m getting ready to run track in two weeks.”
Miller had played baseball the last two seasons for coach Mike Meadows.
The first Charlotte class will report in the fall. The 49ers will practice and hold Saturday scrimmages but there won’t be any real games until 2013. But they have an opportunity to create their own destiny.
“That’s what I like about it a lot,” Miller said. “We get the chance to make history. Instead of breaking records, you get to make records.”
While there will be a lack of games, there won’t be a lack of intensity in the long build up to the first game on Aug. 31, 2013 against Campbell.
“We’re going to be working hard,” Miller said. “The first three weeks are conditioning and then we’ll be practicing.”
In other county signings, Lexington’s Quandarious Crump made it official with East Carolina, a school he committed to in November. Lexington’s Tirek Holloway and East Davidson’s Josh White signed with Division II UNC-Pembroke.
Mike Duprez can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 218 or mike.duprez@the-dispatch.com.