Nolan Carroll

Nolan Stacy Carroll, Jr. (born January 16, 1987) is an American football defensive back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was selected in the 5th round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins from the University of Maryland.

Early life
Carroll was born on January 18, 1987 in Green Cove Springs, Florida. His mother, Jennifer, is a former Lieutenant Governor of Florida and a former United States Navy lieutenant commander. His father, Nolan Carroll, Sr., was a senior master sergeant in the United States Air Force.

Carroll attended Clay High School in Green Cove Springs, where he was a one-year letterman in soccer and a three-year starting wide receiver for the football team. In his second football game as a senior, he broke his leg and was forced to sit out for the rest of the 2004 season. Nevertheless, The Florida Times-Union named him to its Super 11 and Super 24 teams. PrepStar named him an All-Southeast region and SuperPrep an All-Dixie region player. Carroll received athletic scholarship offers from Central Florida, Colorado, Louisville, Maryland, and Mississippi. Scout.com rated him a two-star college prospect, while Rivals.com considered him a three-star prospect. He ultimately committed to attend the University of Maryland.

College career
Carroll sat out the 2005 season on redshirt status, and was named the scout team player of the week for his performance in the practices in preparation for the Florida State game. In 2006, Carroll saw action in all 13 games as a reserve wide receiver and on special teams. He recorded five kickoff returns for 60 yards. Against West Virginia, he had two returns for 12 yards; against Boston College, he had two for 31 yards; and against Wake Forest, he had one for 17 yards.

In 2007, he was converted to the cornerback position, and saw action in all 13 games as a reserve. He recorded seven tackles on special teams, and returned five kickoffs for 84 yards. He saw action in the 2007 Emerald Bowl against Oregon State, but recorded no statistics. In 2008, he saw action in ten games including four starts as a cornerback. Carroll recorded 37 tackles. In the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl against Nevada, he tallied seven tackles including four solo, and broke-up two passes.

Carroll entered the 2009 season as a starting cornerback, but broke his leg in a September 12 game against James Madison, and missed the rest of the season. Prior to the season, he was elected by his teammates as one of the team's four captains. Defensive coordinator Don Brown said of Carroll, "If you were going to clone a guy at that position that he plays, he'd be one of the prototypes." The NFL Draft Scout, a CBS Sports affiliate, considered Carroll the 25th out of 225 ranked cornerback prospects for the 2010 NFL Draft, and projected him as a sixth- or seventh-round selection.

Professional career
The Miami Dolphins selected Carroll in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the 145th overall pick. The pick was received in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers for wide receiver Ted Ginn. He was considered one of the team's most promising rookies, and saw action on special teams during the preseason. In Week 4, he handled kickoff return duties against the New England Patriots. Carroll was part of an improved Miami special teams unit two weeks later against the Green Bay Packers, a game in which he averaged 26.0 yards per kickoff return.

On December 13, 2010, New York Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi extended his knee to trip Carroll as he was running out of bounds to avoid being blocked during a punt (it is illegal to block or tackle players out of bounds.) Ex-Dolphin Zach Thomas later claimed that Alosi had ordered a wall formed on the edge of the coaching box in order to prevent the practice of players running out of bounds to avoid being blocked. Sal Alosi was eventually suspended for the rest of the 2010 season. In the same game, Carroll recorded his first career interception when he picked off Jets' quarterback Mark Sanchez.

In 2012, after cornerback Richard Marshall was placed on IR, Carroll was elevated to the starting role for the majority of season.