Georgia teammates defend Jalen Carter after Todd McShay report
Georgia players are coming to the defense of All-American teammate Jalen Carter after Todd McShay’s recent report that the junior defensive tackle has some character concerns. One of ESPN’s most notable draft analysts, McShay has Carter ranked going No. 2 overall in his first 2023 Mock Draft but he was interviewed after that mock where he made reference to those concerns.
Carter’s teammates at UGA, however, have since taken to Twitter to throw water on the proverbial fire McShay’s comments created.
“Character issues,” freshman defensive tackle Christen Miller said. “When I first Got on campus, Jalen was a real one always making sure I was straight. He took me fishing on many occasions. He a all around (sic) great player and person.”
Miller, a four-star signee in the 2022 class, wasn’t the only Bulldog springing to Carter’s defense. He also wasn’t the only defensive lineman.
Fourth-year junior tight end Ryland Goede tweeted, “What’s he like in the lockeroom you ask? One of my favorite guys to be around. ALL-AROUND STUD as a player and as a friend/teammate.”
Junior defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse quoted Goede’s tweet and said, “Facts!!!”
“With Carter, there are some character issues, does he get along with everybody,What’s he like to deal with in the locker room, those sorts of issues” McShay said earlier in the week. “I know it’s early in the process, but I’m forewarning everybody out there. Carter is going to be a hot-button name when we talk about some of the intangible aspects of it.
Carter is one of two Georgia defenders to earn unanimous All-American honors for the 2023 season. Fifth-year senior safety Christopher Smith is the other.
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It didn’t come easy for Carter, either. The former five-star prospect suffered an ankle injury on the first play of the season against Oregon but went on to play 30-plus snaps in that game. Once the ankle stiffened up, Carter had a tough time putting it behind him. It hampered him for the next three games.
When it appeared as if he had healed up and was back at full strength, Carter suffered another injury setback. He was on the wrong end of an illegal chop block (uncalled) against Missouri, suffering a sprained MCL that forced him to miss the next two games.
The Florida native returned for the Florida game and he has been nothing but a terror for opposing offenses since. In the six games since his return, Carter has piled up seven tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, two tipped passes, and almost two dozen quarterback hurries.
That includes a sack against LSU that became a viral piece of multimedia. Carter busted into the Tiger backfield and fell to a knee before popping up and sacking Jayden Daniels. As the LSU quarterback tried to wiggle away, Carter lifted him off the ground with his left arm and held his right arm in the air with his index finger up, signaling victory for that play.
“Yeah, I’ve seen players do that. They usually didn’t end well. They usually don’t have the restraint,” Smart said of Carter’s sack. “I told him, I said, ‘You proved to a lot of people that there’s a thought process and great restraint to keep from doing something dumb.’ It showed great discipline on his part to not do anything.”
