One of the Big 12's most dominant defensive players, Carriker has drawn favorable comparisons to New England Patriots standout Richard Seymour. Both have the explosive burst to penetrate the backfield and the range to chase down ball carriers along the perimeter.

The team's 2004 Lifter of the Year, not only does Carriker have impressive strength and an imposing frame, but has also excelled in the classroom. He is a three-time All-Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll member.

Carriker was a standout quarterback and rush end at Kennewick High School in Washington. Even though his team did not win a game his senior year, he still earned second-team All-Big Nine Conference honors on defense and played in the state all-star game. Carriker recorded 15 sacks, five pass break-ups, four forced fumbles and 25 tackles for loss in his only season as a defensive end.

He was a three-year starter at quarterback and served as a team captain three years. He ran track one year and earned All-Conference baseball honors three times as a designated hitter and first baseman. Academically, he was named to the Principal's list.

Carriker attended Big Red Football School in 2001, and also visited Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State before choosing to enroll at Nebraska in 2002, spending the season as a defensive end on the scout team. A high ankle sprain in 2003 would sideline the reserve defensive end for three games. In limited action in nine contests, he made three tackles (2 solos) with a 9-yard sack and three pressures.

His ankle problems continued in 2004, which cost him one game of action. He would go on to play in 10 games, starting four at right defensive end before shifting to left end for the final four games. He produced 36 tackles (19 solos) with three sacks, seven stops behind the line of scrimmage and seven pressures.

Carriker started all year at "Base" (right) defensive end in 2005. He earned first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors and was named the team's Defensive MVP. He ranked seventh on the team with 43 tackles (26 solos), but he led the conference and ranked 15th in the nation with 9½ sacks. His 17 stops for losses were a team-high and placed him fourth in the league. He added 21 pressures with three pass deflections and recovered one fumble.

In 2006, Carriker was named All-Big 12 Conference first-team, Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, All-American third-team and team Defensive MVP. He started every game at "Base" defensive end, finishing with 52 tackles (24 solos), as he led the team with seven sacks and ranked second with 16 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He picked off a pass and deflected 12 others while also blocking a kick. He was also credited with 12 quarterback pressures.

In 45 games at Nebraska, Carriker started 34 times. He collected 134 tackles (71 solos) with 20½ sacks for minus-156 yards and 41 stops for losses totaling 184 yards. He posted 43 quarterback pressures and recovered one fumble. He also batted away six passes, picked off another and blocked one kick.

Positives: Has a well-built frame with long arms, good chest muscle definition, tight waist, good bubble and decent thickness in his thighs and calves. … Lacks sudden explosiveness, but shows the initial quickness, balance and body control to charge hard in his backside pursuit. … Keeps his pads down nicely for a player of his size, allowing him to gain position and hold his base well vs. double teams. … Has the functional change-of-direction agility to work his way down the line. … Demonstrates a punishing hand punch and excellent overall strength to easily handle multiple blockers, stack and control. … Plants his foot into the ground to anchor at the point of attack and is quite effective at shooting the gaps when working in-line. … Leader by example type, but the staff says he will not only play with pain, but simply refuses to come off the field when hurt. … Has a strong work ethic and is a good program type who does not hesitate to mentor the younger players. … Just adequate coming off the line, but uses his long arm reach and strength to gain advantage out of his stance. … Might be a better fit for tackle due to his lack of edge quickness, but he has the strength and size to destroy interior blockers on contact and bull rush with consistency. … Shows valid instincts and great vision to quickly locate and run to the ball. … Aware of blocking schemes and does a good job of locking out blockers and locating the ball at the X's. … Solid wrap-up tackler whose strength lets him quickly disengage from blocks. … Has the lower-body power in his anchor to neutralize double-team action, consistently stacking while holding ground. … Has enough speed to slip off some blocks and uses his hands well to keep the opponent off his body. … His arm strength lets him consistently gain separation, stuff and shed. … Also has the feet to adjust on the move. … Shows good desire and effort in his lateral pursuit (more on short-area play than going long distances). … Does a nice job of neutralizing the outside run and forcing it back inside. … His long arms let him engulf ball carriers, showing good strike form to wrap, secure and take down. … Presses the corner well and uses his strength to compensate for adequate speed in attempts to pressure the pocket. … Gives a good second effort in attempts to disengage. … Lacks the extra burst to close on the quarterback, but will collide and push blockers back into the pocket. … Has enough functional quickness to pursue from the backside.

Negatives: More of a power-oriented pass rusher than an explosive edge rusher, making him a better candidate to play one-gap as a defensive tackle. … Has a strong hand punch, but needs to recoil and set quicker when engaging blockers. … Also must keep his hands active; he lacks ideal chop-and-rip moves when trying to disengage. … Lacks an array of moves as a pass rusher and is more of a "meat and potatoes" type who prefers to punish the blocker rather than try to avoid. … Might be at maximum growth potential; the added bulk on his frame in 2006 impeded his explosion off the snap.

Compares To: Richard Seymour, New England -- Carriker is more suited to play like Seymour does in the 3-4 alignment -- out on the edge as a run stuffer and inside as a pass rusher. He has outstanding strength and size, but needs to develop better hand usage in his attempts to disengage. He does a good job of splitting double-teams and does a good job of keeping his feet when moving through trash. He won't spend most of his time chasing down quarterbacks; he doesn't have the explosive closing speed. But he is very effective at pushing blockers back into the pocket. With his size/strength combination, using him as anything outside of the way Seymour plays would be wasting his athletic ability.

2003: Suffered a high ankle sprain vs. Utah State (9/06), missing the next three games vs. Penn State, Southern Mississippi and Troy State.

2004: Sat out the Pittsburgh contest after suffering a high ankle sprain vs. Southern Mississippi.

Campus: 4.85 in the 40-yard dash. … 440-pound bench press. … 600-pound squat. … 370-pound power clean. … 33 5/8-inch arm length. … 9 5/8-inch hands.

Attended Kennewick (Wash.) High School, playing football for head coach Warren Hull. …

Played quarterback and defensive end. … Even though his did not win a game his senior year, Carriker still earned second-team All-Big Nine Conference honors on defense and played in the state all-star game. … Recorded 15 sacks, five pass deflections, four forced fumbles and 25 tackles for loss in his only season as a defensive end. … Was a three-year starter at quarterback and served as a team captain three years. … Ran track one year and earned All-Conference baseball honors three times as a designated hitter and first baseman. … Academically, he was named to the Principal's list.

Graduated in December 2006 with a degree in Business Administration. … Three-time Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll member. … After graduation, he was married to the former Angela McBride, the sister of former Husker defensive end Jeff McBride. … Volunteers his time as part of Nebraska's hospital visitations and as a speaker during American Education Week. … Born 5/06/84 in Hastings, Nebraska. … Resides in Kennewick, Wash., where his family moved to when he was 3 years old.