CLEMSON — There was a time when Barrett Carter was the wide-eye rookie who was looking up to guys like James Skalski and Baylon Spector in Clemson’s linebacker room.
Now, as the Clemson Tigers get set for the 2024 regular season, the Suwanee, Ga., native is the old man in a room full of freshmen and sophomores.
“I was actually just watching one of our old blogs and it was actually the day that we moved in. To see that I have grown facial hair, I have gotten bigger, stronger, all those the things, it was just crazy to see the development and the growth physically, but also mentally,” Carter said. “I just feel like I am an adult now. It has been crazy.”
It’s obviously been a good crazy for the 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior, as he leads a group of young players that many consider to be the best linebacking corps in the country heading into the new season.
After feeling he had more to accomplish, Carter decided last January to return to Clemson for his senior year. In doing so, he adds back his three-years of experience and talent, along with junior Wade Woodaz and a young group of linebackers that came into their own late last season.
Guys like Jamal Anderson, Jr., Kobe McCloud and Dee Crayton all developed at a pace where defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin feels they all will contribute this coming season.
Clemson also brings in the top linebacker in the country in former five-star Sammy Brown, who got a lot of work in the spring and is expected to be a big help in the middle.
“They have attacked this year,” Carter said. “It has been really cool for me, as the old guy in the room, to see their growth and maturity coming in. Just from where they were from Day 1 to now, you can tell they are putting in the extra time to take the next step for them.
“They know what they are capable of, and they know what they can do. It is only a matter of time before they show the world that, so…They have grown so much since they first got here and they are continuing to grow every single day, so it has been good to see them make plays out there and lead the defense, as well. I am really proud of them.”
Clemson will get an idea of just how much its linebackers have grown up when the Tigers play Georgia on Aug. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
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