4-star LB Barrett Carter Breaks Down His Recruitment

It’s no secret that 4-star linebacker Barrett Carter‍ is one of the nation’s top defenders. The 6-foot-1 220-pounder has been on the recruiting scene for some time now and is coming off an excellent junior season. The North Gwinnett (GA) star checks all the boxes at linebacker and broke down his recruitment with Dawg Post.

As for recent visits, Carter has visited Auburn two times now since February 1st and admitted that the Tigers have had his attention for quite some time. Carter was in Auburn the final day before the dead period back on February 1st, and the four-star was back at Auburn right after the dead period ended earlier this month.

“You just get that family-feel at Auburn,” Carter said. “I have a bunch of family that live within a mile of the Auburn area. I’ve grown up with Auburn fans around me.  I think head coach Gus Malzahn does a really good job of teaching his coaches how to make you a priority when you’re on campus. A lot of people compare me to Owen (Pappoe). Coach T-Will (Travis Williams) says he sees a lot of Owen in my style of play. They know how to sign players from out of state, especially Georgia. Coach Williams is big on relationships and just meeting you and developing that relationship. He’s like an uncle that I’ve never had. We never even talk about football when we’re together. He wants to see his players become great men, great husbands, and to excel off the field.  They’ve 100% made me a priority.”

The Clemson Tigers are also in the mix and hosted Carter for a visit this past weekend. 

“Clemson offered me last fall when I was there for the Florida State game,” Carter said. “I’ve been there three times in total with my last visit coming this past weekend. Clemson is a really small town and football is a really big deal there. Head coach Dabo Swinney is so based on Christ and just being a great man. He stresses that to the coaches and you can tell how they feed off his energy. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables is a lot like my head coach now, coach (Bill) Stewart. They both have that fire in them and they’re both going to push you too your limits and get the best out of you each and every day. Clemson is recruiting me to play that ‘cheetah’ role that Isaiah Simmons played. It’s that hybrid defender that can play all over the field. 

As expected, the Georgia Bulldogs are also in Carter’s top group at this time. Carter is a major target for the Georgia staff and he admitted to Dawg Post that he got to see everything the program has to offer during his visit in January.

“I’ve been to Georgia at least 4 times since July,” Carter said. “I was there for the BBQ weekend, I went to the Notre Dame game, the Texas A&M game, and then for a Jr. Day in January. The Jr. Day was the first time I was able to really take a look at the facilities. We couldn’t get a detailed tour during last summer and during game-days so we were able to see the entire facility and all that. We saw the academic side as well.”

Carter said he’s very comfortable with the staff and will always have “love” for the in-state Bulldogs.

“That’s the home-town team so there’s always going to be love for Georgia no matter what. I can just travel 40 minutes down the road and be there. That’s huge for me. I love head coach Kirby Smart and inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann, really the whole staff.  Coach Schumann knows how to produce linebackers. He developed Roquan and knows how develop linebackers in general. He’s a great guy off the field. I can talk to him about anything in the world. He knows what to say to me and I know what to say to him. I just have a really good connection with him. We rarely even talk about football, to be honest.”

“Coach Smart makes me feel like I’m truly part of the family. Last time I was there we went up to his office and just talked about life and nothing about football. That just speaks volumes. He’s just such a good man and we have a really good relationship.”

So what means the most to Carter when he starts to narrow down his list?

“What means the most is how much of a family they seem to be,” Carter said. If everyone’s just all over the place and not bonding then it doesn’t seem like they’re invested in family.” 

Carter said that Alabama was a team still in the mix and his last visit to Tuscaloosa was in the fall when the Crimson Tide hosted Tennessee. Carter said he’d like to get back up to Alabama “soon”.

“I went up to Ohio State last fall when they played Maryland,” Carter said.  “We stayed overnight and went back to visit more on Sunday. It was a good visit.”

As for a commitment timeline, Carter said that he has no set plans right now on what he’ll decide to do, but he does want to be commitment before his senior season starts.

“If I’m ready to commit tomorrow then I’ll commit tomorrow, but I’m just going with the flow really,” Carter said.  “I could make another cut or I could just commit off what I have now. In a perfect world, I would take all my official visits and then decide after that. But if I’m ready tomorrow then I’ll be ready tomorrow. I want to go into the season stress-free and done so I’ll take my officials in the spring and summer.”

Carter is ranked as the No.54 overall prospect in the 2021 class.