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His sophomore season brought more of the same, with Carney continuing to impress through the air. But his biggest development came in his rushing. Carney ran for 918 yards, averaging 76.5 per game.

He said week two of his sophomore year was one of his fondest memories at DC. Against a Fort Bend Christian Academy defense with several Division I commits, Carney rumbled for 200 yards and a touchdown. He capped the season with another state title, beating Cypress Christian 24-0.

“I think (the DC staff) had a lot of belief in me coming in,” Carney said. “It was just a matter of proving myself and showing what I knew I was capable of. And I think I did a pretty good job of that.”

Carney put on nearly 30 pounds in the offseason and developed his throwing mechanics. He lit up the stat sheet, throwing for 3,723 yards and 38 touchdowns at an 80.2% completion rate, all career-highs.

He again led the Chargers through the playoffs but injured his ankle in a semifinal win over Trinity Christian. He fought through the pain in the state title game, though, throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns to beat Holy Cross 28-13.

Following his best season through the air, Carney’s offers began flowing in. Syracuse was among the teams interested. SU offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon flew down to watch Carney throw in January 2024. The Orange offered him at the end of the month.

While Syracuse, 1,500 miles from home, may not have seemed a likely contender, Carney fell in love with the program. In March, he committed to Fran Brown’s squad.

“A lot of schools come in and say, ‘You’re on our list,’ or ‘You’re way up there on our list.’ The Syracuse coaches came in and said, ‘You’re our guy,’” Coughlin said. “I think hearing that helped him a lot.”

Carney’s senior year was a chance to prove himself even more. One of just two returning starters, the Chargers relied on Carney to capture a fourth straight title. Despite a slight dip in his passing stats, he set new career highs in rushing yards (1,076) and rushing touchdowns (21).

“We knew going into (the playoffs), if we were going to be successful, he was going to have to play really well,” Wheeler said. “Not only that, we knew defensively we were going to have to use him.”

Carney played safety in both the semifinal win over Lubbock Christian and the state title game against Holy Cross.

In the latter, he made his mark. Carney threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns, adding 77 rushing yards. He also made three tackles and snagged a key interception in the fourth quarter. Carney won MVP on both sides of the ball as the Chargers held off the undefeated Knights for a fourth straight title.

“His numbers are just unreal,” DC wide receiver Jaylen Gray said. “If you talk about the best quarterbacks in Texas in general, Luke’s definitely up there.”

The final title was a perfect ending to a nearly spotless career. Carney had shown he could win as a freshman, but his senior year proved he could do it without the same supporting cast. He’d evolved into a quarterback who could completely take over a game — something he hopes to do one day at SU.

“(Syracuse is) really getting a diamond in the rough with this kid,” Grubbs said. “I hope it pans out to where the coaching staff sees what they have, they know what they have and they appreciate it.”