Tiger lands on ESPN early 2023 All-America preseason team |
| - Friday, January 20, 2023, 10:18 AM |
ESPN is looking for a Clemson defender to be among the nation's top linebackers in 2023.
That's rising junior Barrett Carter, who will be going into his second year as a starter.
"Carter moved from the strongside linebacker spot to weakside linebacker late in the season and was a natural with his ability to do a little bit of everything," ESPN's Chris Low says. "He's versatile enough that he could probably play safety. The 6-1, 225-pound Carter returns for his junior season after playing a team-high 832 snaps a year ago and finishing with 10.5 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He's the ultimate big-play guy on defense and will team with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to give Clemson two of its best linebackers in the Dabo Swinney era."
On Pro Football Focus, Carter graded last season in the top-5 on the Clemson defense overall (4th; 81.4), run defense (4th; 78.8), pass rush (4th; 82.4) and coverage (5th; 77.4).
He was rated a 5-star prospect out of North Gwinnett (Ga.) and ranked as high as the No. 1 linebacker in the nation (Rivals).
