Most Important Players: Jalen Carter
There aren't enough positive adjectives in the dictionary to describe just how talented of a football player Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is. Despite spending the majority of his college career behind the likes of first-round draft picks Devonte Wyatt and Jordan Davis, Carter still managed to shine on the field throughout his first two seasons in Athens.
Now all eyes rest on Carter as he prepares for his first season as the Bulldog's primary defensive tackle and the expectations are already riding high. Most recently, ESPN's Matt Miller predicted Carter to be a top-3 pick in his latest mock draft and even went on to say, "Carter was arguably the best prospect on Georgia's national title team in 2021".
While NFL GMs continue to patiently wait to get their hands on Carter, he still has a lot to offer at the collegiate level and the Bulldogs will certainly need his assistance on a defense that is returning just 44 percent of their production from last season.
In just two seasons, Carter managed to rack up 51 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks. For context, Davis had 11.5 tackles for loss during his four-year stint with the Bulldogs while Carter was able to reach that number in just 22 career games played.
For the upcoming season, Carter will have to play a very prominent role for the Bulldogs on defense, but in his new role, Carter will also see an increase in demand and volume in snap count. It's even something head coach Kirby Smart has touched on. Saying:
"It’s a matter of can [Carter] play with maximum intensity and sustain. We need him to play more snaps this year. Can he do that? Can he go through offseason workouts and get to where Travon was. Devonte Wyatt was able to play so many snaps because he was in such great shape.”
With the Bulldogs having to weave in several new faces into their defensive line after sending three players off to the NFL, it also means that Carter will not only be tasked with trying to fill the void left by those departures but will also be a guy that his teammates rely on to be the anchor up front.
It's those very reasons why Carter will be one of the Bulldog's most important players throughout the 2022 season.
- 2024 DB Antione Jackson Flips to Miami
- Georgia's Secondary Could be the Defense's Backbone
- Top Georgia Target has a "Big Announcement Coming Soon"
Join the community:
Follow Brooks Austin on Twitter: @BrooksAustinSI
Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @BulldogsSI.
