The highlight raised eyebrows and dropped jaws.

Late in the second quarter of Robert Morris’ 2024 season opener at Utah State, the host Aggies had the ball at midfield and were trying to get into position to trim the Colonials’ 14-10 lead before halftime. Quarterback Bryson Barnes threw a long pass down the right hash mark toward receiver Grant Page.

The pass went over Page’s outside shoulder, turning the receiver around, and seemed destined to fall harmlessly to the turf. But Robert Morris cornerback Rob Carter Jr. leaped in front of Page, stretched high with his right hand and cupped the ball, holding onto it as he rolled to the turf.

The moment made the rounds on social media and sports highlight shows across the country.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime play.

Until Carter did it again.

On Saturday, late in the first half of a Canadian Football League game between the host BC Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell unleashed a pass that sailed 50 yards downfield and was tracking toward receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange in the end zone.

“I thought the ball was just overthrown,” said BC defensive backs coach Ryan Phillips, who was watching the play unfold from the sideline.

Suddenly, like he did against Utah State, Carter leaped and stretched out for the ball.

Defying gravity twice: Rob Carter Jr. proves lightning can strike the same place #cfl #interception #bclions #robcarterjr #famathlete pic.twitter.com/NF7xoMXQts

— ForeverAthleteManagement (@FAMAgency) July 28, 2025

“Even when he went up, I honestly thought he mistimed his jump,” said Phillips, a former CFL corner with 47 career interceptions. “He jumped early. But when you’re a guy with that type of athleticism, that type of hang time and things like that … it was almost like he paused in the air.

“Even when he went up with one arm, I was like, ‘Nah he’s not getting that.’ ”

But Carter got it — this time with his left hand — pulled the ball to his body and rolled to the turf.

Phillips said no one in BC Place knew exactly what happened. Even after Carter popped up with the ball, there were doubts as to whether he had secured possession.

Once the video board showed the replay, Phillips said, the 22,000-plus fans erupted.

“I honestly didn’t think he was going to throw it, with Bo Levi being the great quarterback that he is,” said Carter, a rookie who is only eight games into his CFL career. “… He threw it, and it was a mentality like, ‘Go get the ball.’ I saw the receiver didn’t really make an attempt to really jump up for it, so I just went and jumped up for it.

“My right hand couldn’t come over. If I tried to reach it with my right hand, I probably would have missed it, and it would have been a touchdown.”

Phillips remains dumbfounded.

“I’ve been around football all my life and played a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of interceptions and even made a lot my own self,” he said. “I haven’t really seen something like that in person. … It’s definitely one of the top three best interceptions I’ve seen in person.”

Acrobatic interceptions might have earned Carter attention on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border, but he has proven to be more than a YouTube darling. Through eight games with BC (3-5), Carter is fourth on the team with 30 tackles — he led the Lions with seven stops in his CFL debut — and has two interceptions and a forced fumble.

That was after two seasons at Robert Morris — he played his first two years at Division II UVA Wise — during which he accumulated 66 total tackles, five interceptions and 14 pass break-ups.

Not the biggest guy on the field at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Carter makes up for any perceived lack of size with speed and athleticism. And while his video game-style interceptions would indicate Carter possesses Michael Jordan-esque leaping ability, that isn’t necessarily the case.

Carter said his vertical jump measured 35 inches at his pro day. Hardly a number that’s going to make scouts drool. Carter said that doesn’t tell the whole story.

“I’m not really a stationary jumper,” he said. “But when I’m running, and I can jump off the momentum and off my two feet, I can jump pretty high.”

To drive home the point, when asked if he can dunk a basketball, Carter gave a one-word answer: “Easily.”

But there are plenty of players who are fast and athletic and don’t make it in the pro football ranks. His coaches said what gives Carter the edge is his ball skills.

A receiver as well as a defensive back during high school days in Virginia — he even caught two passes while at Robert Morris — Carter has put that experience to good use. Colonials defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach Jason Makrinos said Carter’s knowledge of the receiver position helps him in the secondary.

“I try to recruit ball skills over tackling,” said Makrinos, a Peters Township native who had tried to recruit Carter while serving as an assistant at North Carolina A&T, “because if you show on tape that you have at least a willingness to play physical and tackle, as defensive coaches, we’re going to spend a ton of time tackling (in practice), so I can get you better at tackling.”

Added Phillips: “The biggest thing for me is ball tracking and ball skills. … You’ve got a guy who can be in position to do pass break-ups and all that kind of stuff, but those who have the confidence to go up and say, ‘I’m going to get that ball,’ you are wired differently mindset-wise.

“He has the unique ability to stay square and use his backpedal to stay in front of guys longer than most due to the fact that he has that short-area quickness, the change of direction, the long speed. Some guys have to rely literally on technique because they don’t have all those intangibles. They don’t have those skills. So the fact that he has a combination of it all … once he gets those (technical aspects) down pat, I don’t know what (an opposing receiver) is going to be able to do with him.”

To be sure, there have been adjustments. When he went to Vancouver for training camp after signing as a free agent, it was the first time he had been outside of the U.S., though he said with other players in camp who were in the same boat, it made the transition easier.

On the field, as with any raw rookie, there were techniques to be refined and situational football to be studied. On top of it, there were the nuances of the Canadian game to master: bigger field, 12 men on a side, three downs and receivers motioning toward the line of scrimmage.

That last part, known in CFL parlance as the “waggle,” has been the biggest challenge for Carter.

“It changes your depth perception of everything,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to read: Is (the receiver) running straight from the ball? Am I still 10 yards away from him? How fast is he running right now? … The CFL, him being so much further away … you can’t tell if he’s running full speed, if he’s running 75% speed.”

But Carter has proven to be a quick study. And while fans might know him for his viral interception videos, his coaches believe his fame will last longer than the proverbial 15 minutes.

“I knew that he had the ball skills and the speed to play at the highest level because speed is speed,” Makrinos said. “He has that, and he has ridiculous ball skills, stuff you can’t coach. The biggest thing for him was going to be physicality, and he’s embraced that.

“So I hope he continues to develop and have a great season. And, selfishly, I would love to see an NFL team like, ‘Wow. This guy’s really crushing it as a rookie in the CFL. Maybe we should dig a little bit deeper into this guy.’ ”

Added Phillips: “He’s still scratching the surface of it. He’s only played eight games. … For him to be already taking these steps and already be a consistent guy … he’s making his presence felt.

“When it’s all said and done within this year … I think he has the potential to be an all-star, potential to be a rookie of the year guy.”

One burning question remains: Of his two highlight-reel interceptions, which is the better? Carter doesn’t have to think long about the answer: the one at Robert Morris.

“My fingers (on my left hand) were broken at that time,” he said, “so I couldn’t even use my left hand if I wanted to. And the roll (after the interception) was me protecting myself. And I guess the roll (last) weekend was the same thing: just me protecting myself from landing wrong.

“But the one at Robert Morris was specifically not to hurt my hand.”

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