HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Carter Sido '26 is a young man with deep faith and truly believes God has a plan for him. Born in Ghana, Carter, his twin sister, Anna-Prin, and their younger brother, George, were adopted by Chris and Tova Sido of Dallas, Texas, when Carter was nearly seven years old. Carter immediately began playing sports. First it was soccer, then baseball and later football, basketball and golf, enjoying success in each before becoming a standout in baseball and football at Hillcrest High School in Dallas. His journey to Hampden-Sydney and becoming a junior team captain and quarterback of the football team is unique and serendipitous.

"My faith is huge to me," explained Carter. "My mom was a pastor for 14 years, so I grew up in a religious household. God has always been in my life and there's nowhere I'd be without Him. I know that the blessings I have in my life are because of Him, and he has a big plan for me.

"My identity isn't in football; it's in God, but he uses football to showcase that to the world, I think. I really appreciate that, and I'm lucky to have the people around me that I do with God in my corner."

Carter led his high school team in passing and rushing as a senior in 2021, totaling over 2,300 all-purpose yards and 33 touchdowns. That same fall, Dallas-native and University of Virginia graduate and former Cavalier quarterback Lindell Stone was in his first year as assistant coach for the Tigers. Carter's talent immediately caught his eye.

"Carter was raw in a lot of ways, but you could see the potential was massive if he committed to improving over four years, which we're seeing now," said Stone, now a financial analyst for Commonwealth Commercial Partners in Richmond, Virginia. "He was sold on the brotherhood, and I thought his skill-set matched what we envisioned for our offense going forward. Carter will always be like a little brother to me, and I'm proud to see the progress he has made this year."

"Coach Stone started recruiting me really heavily," said Carter. "I had never heard of Hampden-Sydney before, but we knew the Stone name. Coach Stone came down to Dallas, and we got to know him, and he offered to have me on a visit. My dad had actually heard great things about the school from his colleague Daniel Prescott III '19, who had been a four-year cornerback for the Tigers. Daniel talked to me about his time at Hampden-Sydney, and between him and Coach Stone, I was convinced to make the visit.

"Coach Stone was fantastic, and the visit went perfectly. I met with Braeden Bowling '24 and Jamahdia Whitby '24, and they showed me a great time. The campus was gorgeous, and it was snowing at the time, which was pretty cool. I felt welcomed and at home, and I felt like this is where I needed to be—my decision was made as soon as I stepped on campus, which was really special. My time here has been fantastic ever since."

Carter saw limited action in six games as a freshman in 2022, rushing for 45 yards and one touchdown during a 70-28 home win against Greensboro (NC). He even averaged 46.8 yards on four punts during a thrilling 44-43 overtime road win at Washington and Lee. Carter had a great camp that following spring and was established as the Tigers' starting quarterback as a sophomore in 2023. In his first collegiate start, Carter rushed for a career-high 184 yards and three touchdowns, adding 153 yards passing and one touchdown, totaling 337 yards of total offense and four touchdowns during a 29-28 home loss to Wabash (IN). Carter's powerful performance is believed to be a school record for single-game rushing yards by a quarterback and earned him the honor of ODAC Offensive Player of the Week. Just one week later, during a 31-17 home win over Brevard (NC), Carter suffered a season-ending injury.

"That was definitely one of the hardest times in my life, but I knew God had a plan for me, and I was going through that experience to be better," explained Carter. "Before that, I'd never missed a practice in any sport. It was really discouraging. I felt like I let down my coaches and teammates by not being able to play. That was really hard to deal with, but I knew that there was something bigger planned for me. I knew my story wasn't finished, and God had a way, a bigger plan for me. I was really lucky to have people around me to keep me focused, and I worked my butt off to gain back the strength. I was able to practice the last couple of weeks, just throw the ball around a little bit, and that gave me confidence going into the winter. I knew that one day I'd be leading this team like I envisioned and do what I know God had planned for me. That's how I got here."

Carter's hard work paid off as he's had an outstanding start to this season, starting every game and passing for 1,290 yards and 17 touchdowns, adding 169 yards rushing and one touchdown. His best game was this past weekend during a 41-36 setback at Ferrum on October 19, passing for career-highs of 282 yards and five touchdowns, adding 69 yards rushing for a career-best 351 yards of total offense. Carter has led the program to an overall record of 3-3, including 1-2 in the ODAC.

"We've kept our motto really simple," said Carter. "It's us against us. We have a little momentum now, a little swagger, but we're still sticking with our process. It's all about our process, and not worrying about who we have in two weeks. This Tuesday practice, Wednesday practice, Thursday practice … we're worried about that. It's our first year in this offense, and I think we're all clicking. It's starting to really vibe. I think that's going to help us for the rest of the season, week-by-week, we're just going to take it day-by-day."

Away from the gridiron, Carter's family is close-knit and supportive. His sister attends Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and his brother is a freshman defensive end at the College. His dad, an executive vice president at Stream Realty Partners, attends every game, and his mom, a former marketing executive and pastor and current Christian author and speaker, rarely misses a game. His paternal grandparents frequently attend games from their home in Florida. An aunt and uncle from Seattle recently attended a home game, as well.

"Oh, my family's awesome," says Carter. "My twin sister is my best friend in the world, and my younger brother is here, which is really special, and he keeps me grounded for sure. My parents have been nothing but amazing. I wouldn't be where I am without those two and I'm really grateful to have them. My grandparents have been nothing but supportive and they're always our biggest cheerleaders. Everyone watches and supports us on Saturdays. It's been a great journey."

This past summer, Carter, Anna-Prin and George traveled back to Ghana for the first time since they were adopted in late 2009. He has a large contingent of family members in the West African country, including 11 other siblings—10 sisters and one brother.

"We were fortunate enough to go back this year and spend some time with our family down there," explained Carter. "It was a life-changing experience. It was really rewarding in every sense of it. It was a unique experience and something I hold dear to me. One of my goals in life is to one day become successful and find a way to help my family. It provides good purpose and is a good reminder of God's many blessings and His ways. He has plans for us in the future that we might not even know."

Carter is majoring in economics and business on the Hill, and has tried to take advantage of the many services offered by the Ferguson Career Center. Considered a best value college for its return on investment, H-SC ranks among the top 10 colleges for career preparation according to The Princeton Review and The Wall Street Journal.

"The career center has been really helpful," said Carter. "I keep building on my resume each year, which is a goal of mine, along with pursuing summer internships and trying to figure out what I want to do. I'm narrowing down my options and thinking about going into the business world, making a good name for myself. Our godparents tell us a lot: 'Remember your good name and make a name for yourself.' I know the things that I'm learning here will translate well with whatever I do outside of football."

Bringing it back to the field, Carter was nominated by and voted to be a team captain by his teammates this year.

"Those guys believed in me and have trust in me and the other four captains to lead the program in the right direction," said Carter. "It's something I take very seriously and is a big honor. It has been one of my goals. I remember Coach Stone telling me during my freshman year, 'One day, you'll be the captain of this team and you'll lead this team to do great things'."

The Garnet and Grey are being led this season by first-year head coach Vince Luvara, and while football is still football, Luvara has brought about change to the program.

"Coach Luvara has brought a lot of life into the program, and he's done fantastic things," said Carter. "All the guys trust him and I think he is the right guy for the job, for sure. What he's doing is working right now and we're loving it. He's a really good presenter and gets messages across to us so well. I'm excited that he is here."

Luvara was quickly impressed by Carter, not only as a football player but also as a young man. "Carter is everything you want as a leader and quarterback on your football team," said Luvara. "He leads by example, but he also has a level of care and compassion that helps to make his teammates better. Carter's greatest talent is that he makes those around him better."

Carter's compassion extends well beyond his teammates to his fellow man. This past spring, Vince helped Carter get involved with QBs vs Cancer, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by Carter St. John, a fellow Division III quarterback and a junior at Alma (MI) College. The true identity of this nonprofit is all of the participating DIII quarterbacks selflessly joining together with a common objective to raise money in the fight against cancer. Through the QBs vs. Cancer organization, Division III quarterbacks provide football training services to middle school and high school athletes in exchange for a reasonable fee ($25). 100% of the money raised by each participating quarterback is donated to a cancer charity of the participating quarterback's choosing. Carter's efforts will benefit Breast Cancer Awareness and Research, which has affected his family.

"I believe in what St. John believes in," said Carter. "He is trying to spread awareness about different kinds of cancer that have affected different people and their families. The way we could do that is to share awareness through social media or fundraising. He's done an incredible job with that."

On the field, Carter has demonstrated his outstanding ability as a dual-threat quarterback—evidenced by his performance in his first collegiate start last season and through six games this season; however, he continues to impress even more in 2024 with his passing game. He leads the ODAC in passing touchdowns (20th nationally), is third in passing yards, passing efficiency (151.2) and total offense per game (243.2), and sixth in completion percentage (57.5). Carter ranks 29th nationally in points responsible for per game (18.7) and 32nd nationally in overall points responsible for (112).

"I want to win each week, win an ODAC Championship and then win playoff games," explained Carter. "I want to win a national championship at some point. Individually, I know that team success brings individual success. I feel like if we're winning football games, the chips will fall where they may. One day I want to be a player of the year in this conference. I think if we do it the right way, it'll be really cool for all of us."

One of Carter's best friends on campus is Shane Fernald '26, a forward on the H-SC basketball team that finished as the NCAA Division III National Championship Runner-Up last season, after winning its record 11th ODAC Tournament Championship. Carter even made it to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the national championship game last March, which was an experience he won't soon forget.

"That was so special," said Carter. "We look up to that program a lot, and I think we're all brothers. Shane is one of my best friends, and I wanted to be there for him. They support us and are always at our games. Shane even wears the jerseys. We all want to see each other grow and be awesome. When someone or a program is as successful as they are, you want to be around that success if you also want to be successful."

Remember that mention of baseball at the beginning? It's a sport that Carter loves as much as football, and one that he had a lot of success in during high school, as well, pitching several no-hit games, including 13 strikeouts in one of the no-hitters. Asked if he was going to pitch again during his last spring on campus, Carter smiled and said "That's the goal. I don't think I'm done with baseball … we'll see what happens."

The next opportunity for having success on the football field will be at home against conference member Averett on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. on Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium during Homecoming Weekend on the Hill.

Special Thanks to Hampden-Sydney Editorial Content Manager Alexandra Evans