Former Gators running back Ran Carthon at the NFL Combine in February. (Photo: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
Former Gators RB Carthon Built a Thriving Career as a Team Builder
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 | Football, Scott Carter
Share:
By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Ran Carthon returned to his old stomping grounds on Thursday to evaluate the UF players participating in Pro Day.
As Carthon and former Gators receiver Willie Jackson chatted inside the team's indoor practice facility, Carthon kept pointing in different directions. He recalled the gate to the old practice fields somewhere over thatway and a few shade trees somewhere overthere. Meanwhile, Carthon knew that the Heavener Football Training Center was where McKethan Stadium once stood.
"Got a chance to see the new facility just as they were laying the floors," he said of a trip to town last summer so his oldest daughter could attend a class on campus. "My family got the hard-hat tour for that."
Carthon signed with the Gators in 1999 out of Key West High, and after a redshirt season, he developed into a productive running back who rushed for 1,353 yards and 11 touchdowns and caught 56 passes for 511 yards over his career.
The 42-year-old Carthon spent a couple of seasons with the Colts as a player, but today he is known around the NFL as the new general manager of the Tennessee Titans. Carthon worked his way up the front-office ladder, starting as a scout for the Falcons, advancing his career in St. Louis, and then moving to the 49ers. He eventually became San Francisco's director of player personnel, the job he held before the Titans hired him in January.
"He did everything the coaches asked," said Steve Spurrier, who coached Carthon for three seasons at UF. "You knew he would be successful at whatever he did in life. I'll be pulling for the Titans."
A career in the front office has intrigued Carthon since his days as a teenager. He would tag along with his father, former Super Bowl-winning Giants running back Maurice Carthon, to Pro Days during Maurice's post-playing career.
"During that time — this time of year at Pro Days — and my dad was coaching in the NFL, I would be at Pro Days either clocking 40s for whoever the coach was, talking to the coach about our players, or watching film of players," Carthon said. "I did that for about five years for whatever staff my dad was on."
Carthon's passion and talent evaluation skills caught the Titans' attention, leading to one of his life's more memorable weekends earlier this year. He interviewed for the Tennessee job on a Friday, flew back to California to attend San Francisco's playoff game on Saturday, and then returned to Nashville for a second interview on Monday. That Tuesday evening, as he waited at the airport for his flight back to California, he got a call from Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk to tell him he had the job. An elated Carthon flew home, grabbed some items from his 49ers office the next day, and returned to Nashville on Thursday for an introductory press conference.
"It's been great," Carthon said. "This is what I've always dreamed of, so I am just embracing it all."
Ran Carthon and his wife, Heaven Carthon, at his introductory press conference. (Photo: George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Florida's Pro Day was Carthon's fourth and final one as he prepares for his first NFL Draft as a general manager. With his wife Heaven and kids still in San Jose, Calif., Carthon has been living in a hotel, sleeping some nights at the office, and making the rounds in his new hometown. He threw out a ceremonial first pitch last weekend at the Triple-A Nashville Sounds' home opener.
Carthon considers it essential to hit the road for Pro Days.
"It's always helpful because you get to see the kids in their comfortable environment,'' he told Titans.com. "If you think about it — for the seniors, you see them at an all-star game, where they barely know which way to go for their drills, right? So that's uncomfortable. And then for the underclassmen, the first time you see them is at the combine, so that's an uncomfortable place." Ran Carthon at Florida Field during his playing days. (File photo: Florida Today)
Carthon's return to Gainesville allowed him to visit with Jackson and several other former UF players in attendance. He reconnected with Spurrier in California late last year when Spurrier returned to San Francisco for a 50th anniversary of the 1972 49ers team.
"I got a chance to spend the morning with him and Miss Jerri," Carthon said. "His mind is still super sharp. He talked about our margin of victory versus SEC opponents from my 2001 season. He was talking about things I had forgotten about."
Sounds like the Head Ball Coach.
And now Carthon has a team to build, working closely with Titans coach Mike Vrabel to create a consistent winner in Music City.
In his six seasons as a member of San Francisco's front office, Carthon provided input on notable selections such as tight end George Kittle, defensive lineman Nick Bosa, receiver Deebo Samuel and quarterback Brock Purdy.
"From here, it's back to the office,'' Carthon said of his UF visit.
Carthon doesn't plan to stay away for long. His daughter Raven enrolls at her father's alma mater this fall to study journalism and communications.
Carthon is appreciative of the impact that UF has made on his life.
"I didn't get here alone,'' he said. "This university prepares you for everything. You hear all the time that Gator Nation is everywhere, and you brush it off because it's kind of a slogan. But then you get out there."
A few years ago, Carthon and his wife were in London during the annual Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville. He wanted to watch the game but didn't know where to go. He found out that there is a London Gator Club.
Suddenly he had plans for the day.
"We actually watched the game with about 20-some-odd University of Florida grads,'' he said. "That really opened my eyes."
They have been open nearly 24/7 of late as he transitions into his new job.
