ATHENS, Ga. – The closer it gets to football season, the further Lorenzo Carter moves from his subpar sophomore year.
Carter arrived at Georgia in 2014 as a Parade and USA Today All-American and immediately showed promise, starting five games and racking up 41 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. The 6-foot-6, 242-pounder from the Atlanta suburb of Norcross capped his first season with eight tackles and a sack in the 37-14 drubbing of Louisville in the Belk Bowl.
Last year began with Carter receiving all-star attention, but it ended with him in relative anonymity, as he collected 19 tackles and no lost-yardage stops.
“We have great players here all over the place, guys like Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins, and you just have to wait your turn,” Carter said. “Last year was just a little bit of everything. You have to be ready to play. Your body has to mature. You have to understand the plays, and I just think I’m more ready now.”
Carter had two very different years under the tandem of head coach Mark Richt and defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, but he is now under the guidance of Kirby Smart and Mel Tucker. Smart had the dual roles of Georgia head coach and Alabama defensive coordinator for several weeks until beginning full time with the Bulldogs in mid-January, but he was hearing a lot about Carter long before Georgia suited up for spring practice.