ATLANTA– While this month’s discussion is about Georgia’s defensive end Jalen Carter should have been about the iconic game in which he picked up the LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels With one arm, ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Todd McShay deflected the spotlight from Carter’s disruptive play on the field, citing anonymous sources to make the case for Carter as an off-field disruptor.
“There’s some character issues with Carter, how does he handle whatever he wants to deal with in the dressing room, issues like that,” McShay told ESPN. “I know it’s early in the process, but I’m warning everyone out there. Carter is going to be a hot name when we talk about some of the intangibles. I think Peter Caroll (and the Seattle Seahawks) at #2, which has a long history of taking guys of questionable character, then developing them and letting them train, that would make a lot of sense to me.
“That will be the big discussion. It’s not about his talent or his size or his explosive start or finish as a pass rusher, it’s about the character and we want to bring that guy in the building.”
On Thursday, Carter was given the platform to defend himself to the media for the first time since those comments. Speaking to reporters at the College Football Playoff Semifinals at Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl media day, the All-American, who says he had “no idea” where McShay might have heard that, gave his first reaction when he was told of McShay’s assessment of his character.
“I didn’t assume that in any way,” Carter said. “I’m just trying to be the best teammate I could be. That’s it. It really hasn’t affected me. I’m always a positive guy. I look at the positive side. I never look at the negative. I tried to stay away from it. And when it came out, I really didn’t pay attention. I just said to my team, let’s just move on. Let’s just go to the playoffs and get out.
on social media, Nazir stack house, Ryland Godeand Jackson Meeks were among those who immediately came to Carter’s aid while Zion Lodge and Little Mondon also pushed back on the alleged concerns.
“It made me feel great,” Carter said. “I didn’t expect it. It’s just the universal love we have as a team.”
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Carter and Daniels play has resulted in many prints being made and subsequent autograph requests. One such request came from the mother of an active-duty Army member in the form of an eight-paragraph letter in which Carter recounted how her son missed two very memorable seasons of Georgia football, the thing he loves most other than his family and his country. The request reached Carter and he didn’t Don’t hesitate to autograph a photo his big game after practice earlier this month.
“It was a quick little signing after practice, and I looked at when they sent the message on Facebook,” Carter said. It meant a lot to me. Because I see a lot of things happening on Twitter and people want to send it to you. I just like to give something back to the community. It really meant a lot.”
Carter has struggled with injuries this season that have limited him a bit and even forced him to miss two games. Despite these limitations, the junior has certainly made the most of his time on the field. By entering the College Football Playoffs, Carter has 29 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 2 pass breakups. He’s forced two fumbles this season — both against then-No. 1 Tennessee. There were some who believed Carter would retire for the remainder of the season as his injuries surfaced, given his forecast as the top-five pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“It was tough because it was my first major injury,” Carter said. “But I had my team on my side. They told me to just work and they motivated me to come back and finish the season.”
As for his own assessment, Carter disagrees with McShay, and he is willing to back it up with identifiable sources.
“I say my character is good,” Carter said. “I have a good character. You can ask anyone on the team. I don’t think anyone will say I’m bad in character.”