Barrett Carter ready to impact 'dynamic' Clemson linebacker group

The Wes Goodwin Era may have officially kicked off in the Cheez-It Bowl against Iowa State, but a new look defense with Trenton Simpson sliding to WILL linebacker and Barrett Carter taking over as the Tigers' Nickel-SAM linebacker make the Tigers' 2022 squad an interesting case study.

Throughout the offseason, reviews of Goodwin's defense seem to indicate a simplicity that allows players to process everything faster. For Goodwin, perhaps most notably, Carter's move, along with the ability of Simpson to wreak havoc at the same time, could become a showcase of a blazingly fast defense with unparalleled coverage ability.

As for Carter's development, he says his ability to process the game rapidly increased this offseason.

"The fact that I have a year under my belt now," Carter noted last week. "I've taken the time in the film room to really process and understand everything. I am starting to learn the logistics of the game and the game inside out".

"Barrett is what we thought he was-- great athlete, smooth, fast," Swinney said last spring. "Gonna be a really good player."

Now that Carter is in that Nickel-SAM spot, Swinney believes his speed will make the group an impressive bunch.

"I think the key word for our linebackers this year, I think we're gonna be incredibly fast and athletic," Swinney noted. "Dynamic is probably the word for the group that we have. That's a really good group."

Last week, Carter echoed his head coach when asked what Clemson fans can expect to see from the group.

"They are going to see a lot of speed, a lot of versatility, athleticism, and a lot of plays being made," Carter stated.

Given Carter's talent, Swinney thinks the sophomore can play just about anywhere on the defensive side of the ball.

"Barrett will start out at our Nickel-SAM. I think eventually, he'll be inside one day. Barrett is a very unique player. He could go play safety. I mean, he really has that type of athleticism. He gives us a very unique guy, that spot."

With the changes to the defense, Carter believes that the Tigers will be better suited to adjust on the fly when pressed by fast-paced offenses.

"I think when the offense starts moving really fast, it can cause you to get overwhelmed or stressed out. Now, we are more chill and nonchalant. We know that we have gone over in the meetings," Carter explained. "The fact that Wes has taken the time to slow everything down-- it makes you take the stress out of football and focus on what the formation is. It takes all the thinking out of the game."

Minus the concepts -- they may have slowed things down a year ago -- Carter said the goals in Tiger Town were very much the same as they've always been under Swinney.

 "We all appreciate how hard it is to win a game. It's tough. We have to do the tough things in order to succeed. That was the main message this off-season: things are going to get hard, and we are going to face adversity, but we have to overcome it," Carter noted. "Last year, all of the adversity that we went through definitely helped us. We are going to strive to be the national champions this year."