Boca Ciega's Brandon Carter Fired Up For Football

Just how farfootball program has come was evident this week when Art Kehoe dropped in to chat with Pirates coach Antez Brinson.

In Florida, coaches like Bobby Bowden and Steve Spurrier and Jimmy Johnson and Howard Schnellenberger and Urban Meyer come rolling off the tongue.

Shortly thereafter, comes Kehoe.

With the exception of perhaps Bowden, Kehoe has outlived them all as a coach in Florida. A former player for Johnson and long-time assistant at Miami, Kehoe, who was a fixture at Miami for 25 years, returned to his old school this winter, back at his old position as offensive line coach.

He is regard as one of the best if not the best offensive line coach in the nation.

Kehoe stopped in at Boca Ciega's practice to check out some of the players. The fact that a Florida coaching legend was moved to watch practice moved some of the Pirates players as well.

"Man, it makes me smile to see a legend like [Kehoe]," Boca Ciega middle linebacker Brandon Carter said. "For a coach like that to come in, it makes me smile because I know Coach Brinson is doing a good job."

Carter wasn't negative against former coach Stevie Thomas. No, Carter was happy because he saw Kehoe's presence as an affirmation that the Pirates under Brinson are heading in the right direction.

"To see a guy like Kehoe come here, I can't wait to practice, I can't wait to play," Carter said. "It just makes me hungrier."

Carter is hoping to carry that intensity over to the summer. The Pirates play at Palm Harbor for their spring game this weekend and just after school ends for the school year, summer weight training begins.

"I want to play football so bad I lay awake at night thinking football," Carter said. "Sometimes, I'm up at 5:30 a.m. thinking about football."