Carter Kilburg was returning home from a summer football practice when his phone started buzzing.
As the Montgomery Bell Academy receiver walked in from the garage, his father urged him to answer. On the other end was coach Joe Ray, calling with news that Kilburg had been selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this December in Frisco, Texas.
“I was blown away,” Kilburg said. “I was just excited for the opportunity to compete against some of the athletes across the nation.”
For the Air Force commit, the invitation meant more than another football honor.
Years earlier, Kilburg had sat in the stands watching his older brother, Jackson, compete in the same prestigious event.
Now, Carter would get his turn.
“It was sweet. It was surreal,” Kilburg recalled of watching his brother. “It's kind of crazy how you go from the stands to the field.”
Football Runs in the Kilburg Family
Football has been part of Kilburg's life for as long as he can remember.
His father played at Notre Dame under coach Lou Holtz during the 1990s. Several relatives also competed at the college level, including his cousin Ryan, a former safety at Western Michigan.
His older brother, Jackson, continued that tradition and now plays quarterback at Colgate University.
Growing up, the brothers had a natural advantage when it came to developing their skills.
Jackson was a quarterback, and Carter eventually became his favorite practice target.
That relationship began before Carter had any intention of playing receiver.
“I was playing running back in fourth and fifth grade,” Kilburg recalled. “I looked at my dad and I'm like, dad, man, why am I going to catch routes for Jackson? You know, I play running back. I don't play receiver.”
He eventually switched positions in middle school, turning those early throwing sessions into valuable preparation.
Kilburg estimates he has caught more than 50,000 passes from his brother over the years.
The repetitions helped develop his receiving skills, but Jackson's influence extended far beyond their backyard workouts.
Watching his older brother compete in the Army All-American Bowl gave Carter an early glimpse of football at the national level.
At the time, Carter was still a young player who had yet to hit his growth spurt. Years later, following Jackson onto that same stage would carry special significance.
The brothers remain close, training together during summers and winters. Their workouts sometimes include jumping rope in the back alley, and Jackson remains one of Carter's most trusted sources of advice.
Their parents have been equally involved.
Kilburg remembers early mornings when his mother and father would wake up alongside him to help him prepare for practice.
“They’re the ones waking up with me at 5:30 a.m., 5:20, and making me five eggs before heading to team practice in the summer at 6 a.m.,” Kilburg said.
His relationship with his father extends beyond football.
“He definitely balances being my best friend, but also my dad,” Kilburg said.
An Injury, a Transfer and a Fresh Start
Kilburg's path to becoming an Army All-American wasn't without setbacks.
His family relocated from Chicago to Nashville approximately four years ago, and he attended Lipscomb Academy from eighth grade through his sophomore year.
During his first varsity start as a sophomore, Kilburg suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
Rather than allowing the injury to derail his development, he searched for ways to keep improving.
“I remember the next morning waking up and saying, all right, let me go up to the weight room and start doing some pull-ups because my arms aren't broken,” Kilburg said.
The following summer brought another major change.
Seeking a different academic and athletic environment, Kilburg transferred to Montgomery Bell Academy before his junior year.
There was only one available spot remaining in the junior class.
He arrived knowing nobody, leaving behind a familiar school and teammates for an entirely new environment.
“I just had to lean into that and be comfortable being uncomfortable for a couple months before, you know, I found my family,” he said.
The adjustment eventually became one of the most important experiences of his high school career.
At Montgomery Bell Academy, Kilburg found a coaching staff that emphasized relationships, accountability and team culture.
He was particularly struck by the approach of the school's head coach, who gave his assistants room to lead while maintaining a personal connection with players.
Kilburg said his coach regularly reminds the team: “I love you before the game, love you after the game.”
For a player who had transferred in search of a different environment, that message resonated.
“You really see the impact when coaches really pour into kids and you have a true brotherhood,” Kilburg said.
Earning Respect and a Team Captaincy
Kilburg's development accelerated at Montgomery Bell Academy.
He earned all-region recognition and credits wide receivers coach Chris Sanders, a former NFL player and Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, with helping refine his technique.
“I got to give him credit for all the technique and all the little ins and outs he's been teaching me,” Kilburg said.
Before his senior season, Kilburg received another meaningful honor: He was named a team captain.
For someone who had arrived only a year earlier, the recognition meant a great deal.
“I only had one fall to really kind of show them what I had to offer the team,” he said.
Kilburg doesn't consider himself a particularly vocal leader.
“I don't think I'm a very loud person. I think I speak with my actions.”
At a school where many students had spent years building relationships, Kilburg had a relatively short time to establish himself as someone his teammates could trust.
His selection as captain reinforced the approach he had taken since arriving: work hard, show up consistently and lead by example.
He described that mentality as coming to work every day with his hard hat.
Why Carter Kilburg Chose Air Force
The move to Montgomery Bell Academy challenged Kilburg academically as well as athletically.
At Lipscomb Academy, he recalled spending as little as 20 minutes on homework each night.
At Montgomery Bell Academy, that increased to roughly 90 minutes to two hours.
Balancing those demands with football, training and recruiting forced him to become more disciplined with his time.
Kilburg began viewing the heavier workload as preparation for the responsibilities he would eventually face beyond football.
“It's all life skills that you're learning,” Kilburg said.
His development on the field also attracted more college attention.
Kilburg entered his junior year with approximately four or five scholarship offers. By the time he made his college decision, that number had grown to roughly 18.
Programs he communicated with included Memphis, Arkansas State, Colgate, Army and Air Force.
But Kilburg wanted more than a place to play football.
He was looking for a strong education, meaningful relationships and an environment that would prepare him for life after his playing career.
Air Force ultimately stood out.
Kilburg visited West Point before traveling to the Air Force Academy, giving him an opportunity to compare the two service academy environments.
After discussing the visits with his parents, he felt a stronger connection to the people and atmosphere at Air Force.
He was particularly impressed by the number of coaches who had attended the academy themselves and later returned to work there.
“I think it was the culture on the coaching staff there,” Kilburg said. “It's a special place, you know, guys go there and they want to come back and be a part of the community still.”
The decision also brought an unexpected connection to his family's football history.
Matt McGettigan, who served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Notre Dame during Kilburg's father's playing days in 1993, now oversees strength and conditioning for Air Force football.
More than three decades later, McGettigan could have the opportunity to work with the next generation of the Kilburg family.
The academy's emphasis on service also appealed to Carter.
His paternal grandfather served as an Army drill sergeant during the Vietnam era, giving Kilburg another family connection to military service.
“Being part of a brotherhood in a community bigger than yourself,” Kilburg said. “The connections there, the brotherhood, the friends you're going to have for life.”
Kilburg is considering studying business, although he has not settled on an academic path.
Whatever he chooses, he sees Air Force as an opportunity to prepare for a future that extends well beyond football.
From the Stands to the Field
Before beginning his college career, Kilburg has one more high school football milestone ahead.
This December, he'll travel to Frisco to compete against some of the nation's top players in the Army All-American Bowl.
He welcomes the opportunity to test himself against athletes headed to major college programs, both during the game and in the practices leading up to it.
“I'm excited for the practice just as well as the game,” Kilburg said. “It'll be cool to practice with those guys and compete against them in the game and just, you know, see where your talent stacks up.”
For Kilburg, the experience will bring together years of preparation, early mornings with his parents, thousands of passes from his brother and the setbacks that helped shape his football career.
It also represents a moment his younger self could only imagine.
Years ago, Carter sat in the stands watching Jackson compete against some of the nation's best high school football players.
This December, he'll be the one taking the field.
And he plans to approach the opportunity with the same confidence that has carried him this far.
“I'm always going to bet on myself.”
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