Carter was a team captain for the Clemson Tigers, and Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney described him as "the epitome of a Clemson Man." He was Third-team Associated Press All-American, First-team All-ACC and was a finalist for the Butkus Award (nation's top LB) in 2024 after compiling 82 tackles and seven pass break-ups.
Carter is a versatile defender called by Swinney as "one of the best pure football players I've had in 20 years." His 2,482 career snaps were the most by a Clemson linebacker on record.
2024 (Senior): Butkus Award finalist, joining Levon Kirkland (1990), Keith Adams (2000), Dorian O'Daniel (2017), Tre Lamar (2018), Isaiah Simmons (2019) and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (2023) among Clemson players to earn finalist selections all-time … Lott IMPACT Trophy semifinalist … third-team All-American according to both the AP and Phil Steele … voted by his teammates as a permanent team captain … credited by the coaching staff with 84 tackles (10.5 for loss), 3.5 sacks, nine pass breakups and a fumble recovery in 837 defensive snaps from scrimmage over 14 games (all starts) … was one of 12 Clemson players to start all 14 games in 2024 … also rushed once for a four-yard touchdown in one offensive snap … first-team All-ACC selection by the conference, the AP and Phil Steele … his 838 total snaps from scrimmage were the most by a Clemson linebacker since 2016 (882 by Ben Boulware) … All-ACC Academic Team selection … contributed four tackles vs. No. 1 Georgia … recorded one pass breakup vs. Appalachian State … posted seven tackles (one for loss) vs. NC State … notched 11 tackles with a career-high tying 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack vs. Stanford … credited with 10 tackles (one for loss), one sack and a pass breakup at Florida State … accrued five tackles (1.5 for loss) and posted a sack in a third straight game at Wake Forest … added three tackles and a pass breakup vs. Virginia … recorded one tackle and a pass breakup vs. Louisville … credited by the coaches with four tackles (0.5 for loss) and two pass breakups at Virginia Tech … led Clemson with 12 tackles (2.0 for loss), a half-sack and a pass breakup at Pitt, surpassing 30.0 tackles for loss for his career in the process … credited with six tackles and recorded a four-yard rushing touchdown vs. The Citadel, becoming the first Clemson defensive player to score an offensive touchdown since 2020 … added seven tackles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup vs. No. 16 South Carolina … contributed eight tackles (one for loss) and a pass breakup vs. No. 8 SMU … credited with six tackles at No. 3 Texas.
2023 (Junior): Lott IMPACT Trophy quarterfinalist … second-team All-ACC selection by the league and by Phil Steele … also garnered third-team All-ACC status from College Football Network … ranked second on the team in tackles (67) and was credited with 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, six pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery in 633 snaps over 12 games (all starts) … All-ACC Academic Team selection … contributed six tackles (one for loss) at Duke … added three tackles vs. Charleston Southern … notched a team-high seven tackles (0.5 for loss) vs. Florida Atlantic … made three tackles vs. No. 4 Florida State … credited with a team-high-tying seven tackles (two for loss) and a sack at Syracuse … collected five tackles (one for loss) vs. Wake Forest … added eight tackles (one for loss) at Miami (Fla.) … led team with seven tackles (one for loss) at NC State with one sack and one pass breakup … posted eight tackles (0.5 for loss) vs. No. 12 Notre Dame … accrued four tackles and two pass breakups vs. No. 20 North Carolina … notched five tackles (2.0 for loss) and a sack at South Carolina … earned an AP All-Bowl Team selection after being credited with four tackles (0.5 for loss), a half-sack, three pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery in the Gator Bowl vs. Kentucky … his two Gator Bowl takeaways came on back-to-back plays from scrimmage by Kentucky, marking the second straight game in which a Clemson defender recorded a takeaway on consecutive plays, joining Khalil Barnes' performance at South Carolina in the regular season finale; prior to Barnes and Carter accomplishing the feat, the last time it had been accomplished was in 1995 (Brian Dawkins vs. Duke).
2022 (Sophomore): Fourth-team All-America honoree from Phil Steele … named first-team All-ACC by Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus … tied for third on the team with 77 tackles (10.5 for loss) as credited by the coaching staff, with 5.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in a unit-high 832 snaps over 13 games (all starts) … prior to Carter and two others in 2022, the last two Power Five conference players to reach 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions in a season were Georgia's Nakobe Dean in 2021 and Clemson's Isaiah Simmons in 2019, years in which both players won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker … All-ACC Academic Team selection … shared team defensive player of the game honors in his first career start, as coaches credited him with nine tackles (one for loss) and his first career forced fumble at Georgia Tech … added two tackles and his first career interception vs. Furman … recorded two tackles and three pass breakups vs. Louisiana Tech including a deflected ball that resulted in a Malcolm Greene interception … contributed six tackles at No. 21 Wake Forest … credited with six tackles, a sack and a pass breakup vs. No. 10 NC State, sharing team defensive player of the game honors … contributed four tackles (1.5 for loss), a sack and a forced fumble at Boston College, once again earning team co-defensive player of the game honors … made four tackles (0.5 for loss) at Florida State … notched eight tackles (one for loss) at Notre Dame … recorded a superlative performance vs. Louisville, earning ACC Linebacker of the Week and team defensive player of the game after recording nine tackles (3.5 for loss), two sacks, an interception and a pass breakup … became the first player to record 3.5 or more tackles for loss, 2.0 or more sacks and an interception in a game between two Power Five teams since South Carolina's Melvin Ingram against Auburn in 2011 … added four tackles vs. Miami (Fla.) … registered four tackles vs. South Carolina … tied for the team lead with nine tackles (one for loss) with a half-sack and a pass breakup vs. No. 24 North Carolina … led team with 10 tackles (one for loss), a sack and two pass breakups in the Orange Bowl vs. No. 6 Tennessee, earning placement on PFF's All-Bowl Team.
2021 (Freshman): Credited with 26 tackles (one for loss), a pass breakup and a fumble recovery he returned three yards for a touchdown in 179 snaps over 12 games (one start) … became the first Clemson player on record to wear number zero … contributed two tackles in his Clemson debut vs. No. 5 Georgia … added two tackles vs. SC State … recorded four tackles at NC State … registered two tackles vs. Boston College … made first career start at No. 23 Pitt, contributing five tackles and a pass breakup … recorded two tackles and returned a desperation lateral attempt three yards for a touchdown as time expired vs. Florida State … added four tackles (one for loss) vs. UConn … made two tackles vs. No. 13 Wake Forest … made one tackle at South Carolina … recorded two tackles vs. Iowa State.
High School: Played for Bill Stewart at North Gwinnett High School … Five-star athlete from Georgia ranked as the No. 17 overall player in the nation by 247Sports … also listed by 247Sports as the second-best linebacker in the nation and third-best player in Georgia, earning a five-star ranking following his signing in the early signing period … Rivals.com listed Carter as a five-star player, ranked as the nation's No. 21 overall player, the top linebacker in the nation and the third-best player in Georgia … ESPN.com lists him as a four-star, the No. 103 overall player in the nation … PrepStar five-star recruit and Top 150 Dream Team selection who ranked as the nation's No. 40 overall prospect and No. 4 player in Georgia … earned Defensive National High School Player of the Year from the Maxwell Football Club … in a 2020 state playoff game, he recorded 197 yards rushing on 17 attempts on offense and had eight tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery on defense… he accomplished that after running for 142 yards on just six carries in the regular season finale … for the season he rushed for 429 yards, a 9.3-yard average, and scored 10 touchdowns and added seven catches for 68 yards … finished the year with 11 tackles for loss, including five sacks, to go with 38 tackles in seven games … had a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown … also threw a 13-yard touchdown pass … as a junior in 2019, he recorded 73 tackles and 10 sacks in 13 games … had 51 tackles and seven tackles for loss in 11 games as a sophomore … finished his career with 162 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, including 18 sacks … 116 of his tackles were solos … selected to play in theAll-American Bowl … committed to Clemson on May 19, 2020 … recruited by Mickey Conn and Brent Venables.
Personal: Born Oct. 23, 2002 … earned degree in sports communication in December 2024… three-time ACC Honor Roll selection (2021-23) … three-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree (2022-24) … aspires to open a training center for young athletes to give back and equip them with tools for both athletics and life … frequently reads to local elementary schools … active volunteer with Our Friend Christopher, an organization established to honor Christopher Miles, a high school teammate of Carter's who passed away from a stage 4 glioblastoma brain tumor … NFF Hampshire Honor Society member … named as the 2024 recipient of the Tim Bourret Award, presented annually to the player who best represents himself, his teammates and Clemson University in the media.
