The quarterback who tops the Big Board is the one who will be drafted by the NFL in three years. 1:44 When Georgia lost 15 players to the NFL draft after winning its first title in 30 years, they weren't expected to be as good this year. Georgia had five defensive players selected in the first round of the draft, so surely it can't be as good on that side of the ball again. The defense was in good hands with Carter anchoring the middle. Georgia is in the College Football Playoff for the third time in coach Kirby Smart's tenure because of his rise to fame from the shadows of his former teammates. He has strength, speed, and size. You don't see that a lot. Taking on double teams or grabbing guys with one hand, he throws them out of his gap and makes plays. He's a force and it's great that I'm playing with him. Georgia hopes Carter adds to his growing list of greatest hits, which goes back to when he was a freshman. His highlight reel at Georgia made him a potential No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Watching Carter pick up Daniels in the SEC championship game wasn't all that surprising for those who know Carter well. They've seen him do a lot of amazing things. Jamon Dumas-Johnson said thatalen is crazy. He's open minded. He will be a top three pick in the draft. Carter had to play on the Raptors tackle football team and 7-on-7 squad in order to be noticed by Anthony. He talked to his mother about playing tackle football with them. Before all of this, he was an exceptional talent. He was going to be special. He was different than most kids when he was younger. Carter played a number of positions for the Raptors in middle school. Carter was lined up against the opposing wideout in order to shut him down. Carter threw a 70 yard touchdown in the eighth grade when the Raptors needed a big play to win the national title. The wrist flicking and throwing on a dime was what it was. Carter's first football moment was when he was playing 7-on-7 against the Knights. A woman believed to be Carter's mother can be heard in the video telling him to talk to them. Carter spoke loudly and clearly when he caught the touchdown pass. ๐คซ๐ฎ pic.twitter.com/0TrRHllkT7 When Carter arrived at Miami's junior day recruiting event the next day, he was asked what he was doing by the Hurricanes' coach. "We didn't think they'd already seen it," he stated. Carter grabbed another victim in a 7-on-7 game, which resulted in a video that went public. pic.twitter.com/rxT2DEGvst The first time Rick and Carter met was at a football banquet. For his age, Carter was pretty big for him. Carter started his high school career on the freshman team, and the Blue Darters affectionately called him the "Nutcracker." Everyone has done the Oklahoma drill for 100 years. We moved him up from the freshman team because he stood out. Carter was a blocker in the single wing offense and played H-back on the team. The Blue Darters finished the regular season with a perfect record thanks to him. pic.twitter.com/eX0iLIfsCb Carter blossomed as a sophomore. A scene from "The Blind Side" shows Carter blocking an opponent into a fence. Carter leaped over a defender after taking a direct snap on an end-around play in the playoffs. In high school, he did it many times. Jalen Carter is headed to the G! ๐ฅ๐ค @jalen2rawcarter | @FootballUGA | #CommitToTheG ๐ถ pic.twitter.com/lcFQu7ViVR
The Catch(es)
The Nutcracker
We didn't play him on defense as much as we should have. I was responsible for that. He was mostly used on offense. He was a really good athlete. I know he's a great defensive lineman in college, but he had the best hands I've ever seen on a guy that big. He was a great athlete in the linemen body.
Jeff Rolson was hired by the Blue Darters to be their new defensive coach. Carter was moved to the defensive line.
He was moved to defensive tackle when I came back. I thought he'd be a great addition to the team. At tackle we played him. We put him there because we felt like we needed to take something away. He was very active.
Carter had a glimpse of what he could do on defense in a spring jamboree game.
"I've never seen anything like that before," he said. alen was unblockable, with sacks, pressures, behind the line, tackling perimeter plays from the inside. It was only a half of football, but it opened my eyes. He impressed me because you're not going to get the same effort in practice as you might get in a game. Everybody around him was raised by him.
He had two teams. He was very aggressive against quarterbacks. The Blue Darters were his team.
Carter was being compared to Warren Sapp, an All-American at Miami and a Pro Football Hall of Famer, by the time he finished playing at Apopka.
The man was impressed. I was a tight end and weighed over 200 lbs., wrote Sapp. The kid is a monster.
Alex Marshall believes Carter would have played in the NBA if he hadn't focused on football. Carter played for the Raptors in the seventh grade. Marshall had to move him up because he was so big.
He was too athletic and skilled. He was moved up from 13U to 14U. He was a complete athlete that could do anything he wanted on the floor. He was doing the same thing as he is doing in football. In basketball, he could have done the same thing.
Carter had two new coaches in 2016 -- one who was known as "White Chocolate" during his NBA career and the other who was an All-American defensive back at Florida State. Their sons played for Carter.
Carter was a bit flashy on the floor. Carter was trying to get a dunk during the game against the Bay Hawks. Marshall couldn't believe what he saw when Carter received the ball.
Lol pic.twitter.com/v5CM0zWuXR
โ Jalen Carter (@breadmanjalen) April 14, 2018
Marshall thought he was going to miss it, but he kept going up. He spun in the air and I knew he wasn't doing it. There is no way. He destroyed the rim. I didn't think it was true. It was hard to believe when you saw it. He's so nice. How do you get the weight off the ground with all of that strength? I'm not quite sure what to think. He's a unique person.
Carter would have been better if he focused on basketball.
He could have been a high-Division I kid. There's no doubt about it, he would be like Zion. The dunk is visible. Zion does the same things.
Carter grew to 6 feet, 3 inches and 301 pounds by the start of his senior season. He was one of the top prospects in the state of Florida.
Carter's recruitment was not very exciting. He named his top three schools on May 19th. He made his decision the next day. On the first day of the early signing period, he made it official.
Carter justified the hype before the game. While the roster included future college stars, like Ole Miss running back Zach Evans, LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte, Oregon defensive back Dontae Manning, auburn running back Tank Bigsby, and Michigan tailbackBlake Corum, Tom Luginbill remembers Carter as. Carter's combination of power and speed impressed Luginbill the most.
Jalen Carter is going to be a PROBLEM pic.twitter.com/7qDU8NJvUD
โ Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) January 25, 2020
Carter was named the team's Most Valuable Player after he had four tackles and one tackle for loss in the game.
As good as Carter was in high school, he had to wait his turn to make a difference. He was part of a defensive line that included future draft picks.
The freshman started against Florida and South Carolina. He had 14 tackles and three tackles for loss. Against Tennessee, he had his biggest moment. He caught a touchdown from the quarterback early in the fourth quarter of the game. Bennett found Carter on a play-action pass.
Jalen Carter may be a defensive lineman, but he's got the hands to bring in a touchdown. pic.twitter.com/Zci3qUDWWp
โ CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 10, 2020
Some of the most amazing things to me have been at offensive positions and fullbacks. He's a great blocker. He was a student in high school. He has a lot of athletic ability for a guy that's big. He controls his body and balance.
Carter blocked three Arkansas players on a 1-yard touchdown run.
JALEN CARTER BLOCKED THREE GUYS AT ONCE ๐ฑ @GeorgiaFootball pic.twitter.com/4Bg3erBWOx
โ SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 2, 2021
Carter was coming off the bench in his sophomore year, with three first-round draft picks still ahead of him. Pro scouts and opposing coaches began to whisper that Carter might be better than everyone else.
Carter stuffed Rocko Griffin for no gain on the first down, then did this on the second down in the 62-0) win over the Commodores.
.@breadmanjalen A BULLY ๐ค
Watch live on SECNetwork: https://t.co/JgIUPVBVtg pic.twitter.com/ZZbyqC9mPN
โ Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) September 25, 2021
Carter was the best player on Georgia's historically good defense, according to many people. Some of his teammates were also present. Carter had 37 tackles, 33 quarterback hurries and 3 sacks. He blocked a field goal in the third quarter against Alabama. The bulldogs ended their title drought in the fourth quarter with a 20-9 victory.
Walker said that he was a dominant player. He's one of those guys that can ruin the game. I feel bad for whoever is in his way if he puts his mind to it.
Walker said that Carter's best work has come during Georgia's practices.
Walker said that he can remember times when someone just pissed off a teammate. It got ugly quickly. If someone says the wrong thing to him, he will either bull rush him or hit him. Don't make it hard. It's effortless.
Carter is similar to a Pro Bowl defensive tackle in Jeffery Simmons.
He is like a freak of nature. I was always learning from him, even though he was younger than me. He loves the game and has a good attitude. He is always trying to win. I compare him to someone like Jeffery Simmons, who is strong and can move quickly.
Georgia was counting on Carter to be the anchor of its rebuilt defense, which had the most defensive players selected in the first round from one school.
Carter played well in the big games this year. After missing two games because of a knee injury, Carter had a sack, tackle for loss and two forced turnovers in a victory against a ranked opponent. One state. He had a sack and strip of the quarterback.
Turned all the way ๐ #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/dVhtVZRviS
โ Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 5, 2022
In Georgia's 50-30 win against LSU in the SEC title game, Carter finished with four tackles, six quarterback pressures and one sack, after helping Georgia finish 12-0 for the second year in a row.
The highlight of his career might have been late in the first half, when Carter chased down LSU's Daniels and picked him up until the end. Carter lifted his hand as he held Daniels. He gestured with his finger to remind everyone who was the defending national champion and which player should be the first pick.
.@breadmanjalen is a grown man ๐
๐บ: Watch live on CBS#GoDawgs | #SECChampionship pic.twitter.com/0bmwWAIyZo
โ Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) December 3, 2022
Lewis Cine, a first-round pick of the Vikings, said that it was how he threw other guys around that impressed him. You can see how he picked the guy up when you watch that game. You're seeing that in practices as well. He's just a weird person.
Walker said that was him every day.
Carter stuffing Josh Williams for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Georgia 5 may have been more important.
Looks up "Built Different"
๐บ: Watch live on CBS#GoDawgs | #SECChampionship
pic.twitter.com/fjq69FE8f4
โ Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) December 3, 2022
They're behind the wheel. They're going to score. They decided to take it on fourth-and-1. He tackles two people in the ball carrier. There is probably not a bigger play in that game than one person making. He is the only one on the team that can make that play.
Carter is hoping to make a few more plays in the playoffs.
Additional reporting was done by Rob Demovsky.
All Rights Reserved ยฉ 2024
