Versatile Barrett Carter out to write his own Clemson story

Barrett Carter is repping as a linebacker and a safety this August camp.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Aug 10 07:00:04 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Barrett Carter is embracing his versatility and will play in multiple defensive spots for the Tigers this fall. But don’t compare him to former Clemson linebackers. Not yet. He’s wanting to write his own story.

Carter is a sophomore linebacker out of Suwanee (GA) North Gwinnett who enters 2022 having recorded 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) as a true freshman in 2021.

His natural position is linebacker, but the coaches have plans to use him at safety and maybe even nickel to take advantage of his freakish athleticism. In other words, the coaches are going to Carter in a spot where he can do the most damage to opposing offense.

“Just have me in a place where whoever we're playing, we can gameplan and scheme for them and just put me wherever to just make a play,” Carter said after Tuesday’s practice. “I think having me going to different spots, teaching me a lot of new things, and new techniques are going to help me in the future. But just help with game plans and help with whoever we're playing. So, I'm glad to be in the position to move around.

“I love that. It's a blessing to be in that position and to have the trust for my coaches, it's such a blessing. I'm just going to keep working hard just to earn the trust even more and just hope it all translates to the field.”

However, Carter isn’t the only player that can move around.

“We have so many different dudes who can play so many different spots,” he said. “When you have a defense like that, it's just so versatile, and we just play everywhere. We're going to give offenses a lot of problems. I think we're sitting in a great spot right now just with the amount of versatility and just the athletes that we have on this defense. We're really going to come together and just fight for each other every day. The athleticism that we have is going to be very scary for opposing offenses.”

Playing safety isn’t as hard as some might think for the athletic Carter.

“It's not too hard. I've played safety in the past, so it's not that big of an adjustment,” he said. “I trust my coaches. I trust that they'll put me in the right position. They wouldn't just be doing anything for no reason, so I know they have a plan for me. God has a plan for me. So I love embracing new roles and just stepping out of my comfort zone.”

Isaiah Simmons and Dorian O’Daniel were two Clemson players who used their versatility to not only play different spots but also write their ticket to the NFL. Carter is flattered by the comparison, but he wants to make his own way.

“Just being in the same conversation with those dudes is awesome,” Carter said. “I'm just trying to write my own story. Just make the plays.”

Having so many good players on defense, especially at linebacker, has ramped up the competition.

“It brings the best out of you every single day. You have to be on your A-game every single rep; even when you're not in you have to be locked in just in case they mess up,” Carter said. “Just having a deep room like this, it really pushes you every day. It makes you strive to be the best version of yourself. We're all great dudes off the field, so we all hold each other accountable. I know we have a lot of the same characteristics. Always that fast, physical, relentless Clemson defense.”