Heading into his second season with the UConn football team, Nate Carter is ready to compete with a new roster of talent.

After rushing for 578 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with the Huskies, Carter knows that he has to show a higher level of dedication as a lead running back for the Huskies. With a new coaching staff ready to challenge the team and bring a new culture to Storrs, the sophomore running back is more motivated than ever.

"We're all reaching to achieve one goal and that's to win," Carter said after Friday's first day of practice at fall camp.

One of the most noticeable changes Carter has made in his 5-9, 200-pound frame. Off the field, Carter has been putting in the work in the weight room. During the offseason, Carter was able to put on more weight and muscle than he ever has in his football career. That extra physicality has allowed him to become more durable and improve in many areas, but he believes his biggest improvement has been his technique.

"I give a lot of props to Coach (E.J.) Barthel, my running back coach," said Carter. "He really helped me out by sitting me down and us looking at the film."

That technique was certainly on display at the first day of fall camp on Friday as Carter showcased his improvements. In a new multi-level offense under Offensive Coordinator Nick Charlton, the sophomore running back is poised to be a top option in what is sure to be a diverse offense for the Huskies.

"Coach Charlton has brought a lot of diversity," Carter said, "and we have running backs who are prepared to go in different positions to do many different things to score well in this offense."

While Carter is focused on getting better as a player, he made sure to put an emphasis on not only himself, but also his teammates.

"I want to be the person that serves my teammates and makes them better," he said. "If we all have that mindset of just not trying to be the guy, but trying to be a guy for the team, I feel like we're going to win many games."

The work that Carter has put in throughout the offseason and most recently during fall camp has not only earned him a spot as a preseason candidate for the 2022 Doak Walker Award, but has also impressed his new head coach at UConn.

"Just the way his body has transformed – he's right around 200, 201, 202 -- and he looks fantastic," Coach Jim Mora said. "You talk about culture and leaders – when he walks in the room, even as a sophomore, he is what you want. In everything that he does, he is what you want.

"On the football field, he can obviously carry the ball, he can catch a ball out of the backfield, and he's a good protector and those are the things that you want position specific to what he does. I think Nate's going to be a really, really fine football player for us."