Livingston ISD approved Tucker Carter as its athletic director and head football coach in a special called meeting Tuesday in the high school library.
Carter, 33, comes to Polk County from Whitehouse High School, just outside of Tyler, where he was offensive coordinator for the past four years.
The coach was a star in high school, guiding Allen High School to a 15-1 record and state championship as quarterback. He then enrolled at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens where he was the 2011 Southwest Junior College offensive player of the year. A transfer to the University of Texas-San Antonio placed him as a signal caller for two years with the Roadrunners.
He said there were multiple reasons Livingston was the right job.
“I just felt like the more I looked at it and the more I got around people in the community and got information about it, my strengths were kind of the things that they needed as far as having good relationships with the community, building it from the junior high up, and really bringing some energy to it,” Carter said. “I just felt like it was a place that you can be competitive at everything. As I kept going, I felt genuine relationships from the people that were on the school board and the community, and I felt like they really wanted what's best for the kids and want to do what it takes to do that. That excited me and I felt really comfortable about going after it and interviewing and taking the job.
“Obviously, there are great facilities, and it is the biggest town around that area. I felt like it is a good blend of kids, and it's got a lot of community support. At the board meeting, there was a ton of green in there. There is some passion, and I just feel if you can get in there and build some relationships with the community and the faculty and staff and kids, it is going to be an exciting place to be.”
After school, Carter worked at a strength and conditioning company in the Metroplex, then took his first coaching position at Byron Nelson for a year in Trophy Club. He then went back to Allen for three years for their strength and conditioning in the summers and some in-school activities for male and female sports.
Before Whitehouse, he was offensive coordinator for three years at Bonham High School, north of Dallas and near the Red River.
“Obviously, just looking at the record, there are some things that haven't gone great,” Carter said of Lion football. “But I feel confident that going in there and getting a good staff in there that can build those relationships, it can be a great fit for everybody.
“They have had some success in several sports and good participation numbers. I want to go in there and try to continue that and emphasize kids playing multiple sports. I want to try to connect the school and community and parents and kind of get everybody moving in the same direction. I think if we can get in there and be really positive and build those relationships throughout, we can kind of turn the tide.”
As an offensive coordinator, Carter said he has employed several different styles. Whitehouse was 5-6 last season and averaged just under 28 points per game. They were defeated 45-0 in the first round of the playoffs by Huntsville. The year prior, the Wildcats were 7-4 and scored just under 40 points per game. They were eliminated by a strong Melissa squad 49-21 in the bi-district round that year.
“When I played quarterback, I played in several different offenses. In high school, we were all spread with four wide receivers, and then went to college and played in multiple systems. I do have a system, but it is going to be built around the kids. I am going to let the system adapt to the kids and not force the kids into things they can't do. I have to take a look at that as we get there and start doing some skills and develop a quarterback. We will see what they can and can't do, and try to put them in a good position to score points. I don't want to be stuck in one way of thinking.”
The immediate task as athletic director beginning next week is evaluating the current staff.
“I want to meet with those men and women and see what their plans are and what they are thinking, and day by day, go from there and build the best staff we can. I've got people ringing my phone left and right now, but I've got to go in there and see what that is going to look like. I want to evaluate first and build those relationships and see what I can bring in and what I can't bring in and piece by piece, put it together.”
Taking on the Livingston job as a first-time athletic director and head coach won't be easy, but Carter said he is ready for the challenge. The football team was 0-10 in 2024 and loses much of the production it had to graduation. He has seen something similar in his college days, getting in on the ground floor of UTSA football just as it was beginning to build its program.
“At UTSA, we obviously brought in an entirely new roster and staff and started from ground zero. I graduated with that first class of football kids, but I went (to junior college) out of high school. Just looking at some film, I think there are kids that play with really good effort and look like they want to be coached. It is going to be a process and you're not going to get in and go 16-0. I don't know how long it's going to take, but that is part of the battle day by day.”