Barrett Carter is a former Clemson standout who exploded onto the scene as a rookie, racking up 106 tackles for the Bengals in 2025.
Barrett Carter arrived in Cincinnati as a fourth-round pick out of Clemson known for his range and open-field pursuit, and he wasted little time proving it at the NFL level. After taking over a starting job in Week 6 of his rookie year, he finished the 2025 season as one of the most productive first-year linebackers in the league.
Path to the league
Carter played 52 career games with 40 starts at Clemson, finishing with 254 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 24 pass breakups, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. A two-time All-American and All-ACC honoree, his 2,482 career snaps stand as the most by a Clemson linebacker on record. The Bengals selected him in the fourth round, No. 119 overall, of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
As a senior at Clemson in 2024, Carter posted 10.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, nine pass breakups and nine quarterback pressures, cementing his reputation as one of the best run-and-hit linebackers in his draft class.
2025 season recap
Carter didn't crack the Bengals' starting lineup until Week 6 but quickly became a tackling machine, finishing his rookie season with 106 tackles, four passes defensed and an interception across 17 games. He posted a 16-tackle performance against the Patriots, among the best single-game totals by a rookie in franchise history.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Barrett Carter
- ESPN: Barrett Carter
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | bengals | 17 | 106 | 53 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Clemson
- Hometown
- Suwanee, GA, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
