Lake Travis will be Hank Carter’s first head coaching job.

New Lake Travis head coach Hank Carter is late for his interview.

It’s hard to blame him, though. It’s been a crazy week for the newly anointed head coach of one of the state’s top football programs.

He’s hanging his hat on the fact that with his guidance, not much will change in the program, making it easier for the machine to keep rolling through the Texas football record books.

So his excuse for being late makes sense.

“Well, didn’t [Chad] Morris keep you waiting for a few minutes before his interviews?” Carter laughed. “I don’t want to set some new precedent and get you out of your comfort zone.”

He was joking, but the explanation falls in line with everything he’s been saying.

Since the moment he was hired last Friday, he’s spent plenty of time in interviews saying that the best part of coming back with the staff to steer the program is that the kids won’t go through any major change.

“It’s an incredible program and school. I’m very blessed to be a part of it and I’m so glad they decided to stick with the staff and the job we’ve done,” Carter said. “I think it’s easier on the kids and I think it’s going to be a lot smoother for them now. It’s an incredible deal, I’m excited, the kids are excited and we’re all ready to go.”

Speculation abounded in the weeks leading to Carter’s hiring about whether the 33-year old coach with no head coaching experience was ready to take over what is arguable the pre-eminent program in the state. With the pick of any number of the best coaches in the state, why give it to the guy with the least head coaching experience? The kids and the transition were one reason, and Carter said he feels like the criticism, while fair, doesn’t tell the whole story.

“You know, my preparation started even in our last two years at Stephenville,” he said. “Coach Morris had a lot of trust in me and started letting me handle more responsibility and that’s just grown in time. I’ve had some head coaching opportunities to think about before this, but I’ve always wanted it to be the right situation and have the right feel. I can’t imagine a better situation and a better community.”

There very few scenarios over the last two seasons at Lake Travis in which Morris, Carter and offensive coordinator Matt Green weren’t together, so it comes as no surprise to hear the story told. It goes without saying that opportunities will always be available to the best coaches in winning programs, and it just happened that this time, the program was the same one.

And while Carter believes the best part of the transition is very little change, he also recognizes that things will never be same for him.

“There will definitely be more of a time commitment,” he said. “During football season, that won’t change because I’m not sure how you can work more than we already work. Which is fine, that’s how we do it. But there’s more to contribute to overall and there will be more responsibilities away from football season, too. The biggest change is having the final say in our decisions, which will be different, but that’s OK. I think I’ve always been very involved in that process anyway, so I’m just stepping up a bit. Taking more responsibility.”

There’s also comfort in the fact that Green will continue to call the plays, after years of getting a chance to do so with Morris calling the shots. As of now, Green will remain in the press box during games, taking full responsibility for the offense, while Carter continues to coach the defense with his defensive coordinator. That position has yet to be filled. But Carter is extremely comfortable with the workload and how it will be distributed.

“It’ll be [Green]’s show on offense,” Carter said. “He and Coach Morris worked so closely together on offense, so this will be his chance to do his thing on his own. Everyone on the staff is going to have a bit of a new role, but there won’t be a lot of change, which is nice.”

But for all the success the program has had, and all the expectations that come with it, Carter doesn’t seem more stressed than one would expect or unsure about the situation. To him, it all seems to make sense and fit well together. He hasn’t even moved into Morris’ old office yet, but is working up depth charts for both sides of the ball on his whiteboard.

He looks over the positions – listed two players deep in most spots and three players in others – and his eyes light up. He’s excited for every step that comes along the way.

“I really feel like the best is yet to come,” he said. “We have so many kids coming at every single level. We’ve got district championships on every level.”

The pressure doesn’t bother him because it’s a situation he’s used to inheriting, first at Stephenville and again at Lake Travis. And now a second time at Lake Travis.

“We’ve got so much experience as a staff, and we’ve stepped into plenty of pressure situations before,” he said. “I feel like we’ve been trained every year to be ready for this. I also feel like the resources and the kids ease that pressure a lot. We’ve got so much to work with.”

And not a single thing to change, which is exactly how Carter wants it, along with everyone else.