Barrett Carter shares what he wants to improve on with return to Clemson

As linebacker Barrett Carter returns to the Clemson Tigers, there’s a bevy of areas the star defender would like to improve in 2024.

The past two seasons, Carter has racked up over 130 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks for the Tigers. He’s a critical piece of the Clemson back seven and head coach Dabo Swinney even called him, “one of the best pure football players I’ve had in 20 years.”

So where’s Carter hoping to get better as he returns to the program once again next season? Here’s what he had to say when discussing the topic with the media.

“A lot of things. I think how I played definitely didn’t meet my standards. Meat on the bone,” Carter explained. “Also I get to come back and graduate. I wouldn’t have graduated. I feel like I could’ve led better this year. It was a lot of things that went into it. But I would say how I played, that was probably the main factor. I know what I’m capable of. I felt like, even if I had the best season in the world, I still probably wouldn’t be happy with how I played. But I feel like I have the chance to come back and prove myself right with a lot of things. The main thing for myself is I didn’t want to leave with any regrets. I feel like I kind of would’ve done that, if I were to leave this year.

“So just coming back to finish with no regrets, empty the tank and set myself up, set this team up to get back to the top of the mountain. But I’m definitely not proud of some of the plays I had this year. So I had a chance to come back and you know, finish stronger. Finish on a better note. That’s what I’m going to do.”

That’s the absolute right attitude for Carter to have, and it should fire any Clemson fan up to hear the linebacker’s reasoning. Even with the NFL calling, Carter believes in himself enough to continue his time with the Tigers.

Additionally, Carter elaborated on what went into his decision to return for another season, and how difficult of a choice it was to make.

“It was probably the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Carter added. “You know, your dream is — the opportunity is right there in front of you. You have a tough decision to make. But you have to really weigh the pros and the cons. So you know, I felt like I had some unfinished business here. Feel like I left a lot of meat on the bone this past year. I came here to win a national championship. I set out a lot of goals for myself. I had the opportunity to come back. I talked to a lot of people that had a lot of input, and decided that it was in my best interest for myself, you know selfishly, to come back, but I love this university. I love this team. I love these people. I couldn’t leave yet. The guys I get to go to work with every day, they make it so special for me. I couldn’t leave them yet. 

“So it was a tough decision to say the least. I probably contemplated it for — I mean, ever since the South Carolina game ended, I was just thinking. I had no clarity with it, until like two days before I announced it. That’s when I really got the full clarity. I decided that I was to come back, and have unfinished business here to handle. I want to bring a national championship to this school. That’s all that went into it.”

Alas, we’ll see if Barrett Carter made the right choice or not in the future, but there’s no telling what his ceiling is for 2024 if he can continue his steady improvement.