What to Know About Jalen Carter, the Former Georgia Football Player Drafted by the Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Jalen Carter during the 2023 NFL draft

Football star Jalen Carter was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles as the No. 9 overall pick at the 2023 NFL Draft.

The defensive tackle is coming off three impressive years at the University of Georgia, where he helped lead the team to back-to-back national championships. In his final season at Georgia, Carter recorded 32 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles — despite missing two games with a knee injury — and was named to the 2022 All-SEC Football Team.

"He is a devastating blocker," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart told ESPN about Carter in 2022. "[He] just has phenomenal athleticism for a guy that has size."

Carter declared for the NFL Draft on Jan. 10, 2023, the day after he and the Georgia Bulldogs beat TCU for their second straight national championship. Five days later, on Jan. 15, Carter and the team were back in Athens, Georgia, celebrating the win — when a late-night car crash resulted in the deaths of Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and team staffer Chandler LeCroy.

In March, an arrest warrant was issued for Carter for his alleged involvement in the crash. Police claimed that Carter had been racing LeCroy's car and charged him with two misdemeanors: reckless driving and racing. He later pled no contest to the charges and was sentenced to 12 months probation, 80 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

Two months later, he was named in a $40 million lawsuit filed by Willock's father.

Here is everything to know about the former University of Georgia football star Jalen Carter.

Carter has been impressive on the football field since middle school

He was born on April 4, 2001, in Apopka, Florida, a suburb of Orlando known for producing powerhouse football players. Carter was no exception, and was first noticed for his football talents when he was in the sixth grade. A local coach, Anthony Fieldings, approached Carter's mother to have him play on his AAU team, the Apopka Raptors.

"He was just different than most kids, even when he was very young," Fieldings told ESPN.

Throughout middle school, Carter excelled at several positions, including running back, cornerback, receiver and outside linebacker. When he was in 8th grade, he even stepped in as quarterback during the AAU 14-under national championship game — and threw a 70-yard touchdown pass.

"He was just an exceptional talent … You could tell he was going to be special," Fieldings said.

Carter was also a talented basketball player

Carter's athletic abilities weren't limited to the football field; he was also a standout basketball player as a teenager. As a seventh grader, Carter began playing for the local AAU team, the Raptors Elite — but was quickly bumped to play in an older division because of his size. Even against kids older than him, Carter still excelled, Raptors Elite director Alex Marshall said.

"He was just too athletic and too skilled," Marshall told ESPN about Carter. "We moved him up from 13U to 14U, and he still dominated."

Videos of Carter playing basketball in high school have gone viral on social media, with footage of him windmill dunking receiving more than 800,000 views on Twitter. "Jalen Carter is the definition of a FREAK athlete," the tweet reads.

His former AAU director Marshall agrees, telling ESPN that Carter was good enough to play college basketball. Marshall compared Carter to New Orleans Pelican player (and the first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft) Zion Williamson, calling him a "high-Division I kid."

"He was just a complete athlete that could get to any spot on the floor that he wanted and do whatever he wanted," Marshall said of Carter. "Just as he is doing in football, he was doing in basketball. He could have easily done the same in basketball."

He played football at the same Florida high school as former NFL defensive tackle Warren Sapp

Carter went on to play football at Apopka High School, the same high school that NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp attended in the late 1980s and early '90s. As a freshman, Carter was moved from the freshman team to the varsity team after impressing his coaches in practice drills. That year, he helped the team finish undefeated in the regular season, according to ESPN.

"He was just a freaky talented athlete," his former high school coach Rick Darlington told ESPN. "He could 360 dunk a basketball and probably had the best hands I've ever seen on a guy that size. He wasn't your typical athlete; he was a great athlete in a lineman's body."

After his sophomore season, Carter made the transition from offense to defense. "I like it a lot. I can be aggressive and do whatever I want," Carter told the Orlando Sentinel about his new position.

As a 6' 1" and 301-pound high-schooler, Carter excelled on the defensive line. His senior year, Carter recorded 64 tackles and 12 sacks and led the team to an appearance in the state championship game, ESPN reported. The standout performance made Carter the top-ranked player in Florida, the No. 12 ranked prospect in the country — and earned him comparisons to Sapp.

"It feels good knowing that they compare me to those types of players who were at Apopka before," Carter told the Orlando Sentinel in 2019.

But not only was Carter being compared to Sapp — Sapp himself also took notice of the high schooler's talents. In 2017, the former NFL pro responded to a tweet about Carter, writing: "I was a TE and 225 lbs. That Kid is a Monster! #BetterThanMeInHighSchool."

He committed to play at the University of Georgia before his senior year of high school

Carter's success at Apopka earned the attention of several top-ranked college football programs, including Alabama, Clemson and Georgia. In May 2019, before the start of his senior season, Carter announced on Twitter that he would be attending the University of Georgia to play football in the fall of 2020. "I am 100% committed to University of Georgia 🐶🐶🐶," Carter tweeted.

Making the college decision early helped Carter to focus solely on his senior season at Apopka. "It feels good knowing that I'm committed to a college now and I'm settled and not thinking about any other colleges and I can get my work done and focus on school," he told the Orlando Sentinel.

Carter also revealed that he knew Georgia was the right choice for him from the beginning. "I knew it would be Georgia from the first visit. Each visit got better and better. I have bonded with players and I feel at home in Athens," he told 247 Sports.

Carter won back-to-back national championships at Georgia

In January 2022, Carter was part of an all-star Georgia defense that helped the Bulldogs win their first national championship since 1980, per the New York Times. Georgia beat Alabama for the title, breaking a 15-year losing streak against the Crimson Tide.

A sophomore at the time, Carter was part of a defense that went on to have five first-round NFL draft picks that year. But Carter still found a way to make his mark in the national championship game, blocking an Alabama field goal late in the third quarter.

"It happened really fast … I really didn't process it," Carter said about the critical play.

The following year, Georgia — with Carter now leading the defense — went undefeated in the regular season. On Jan. 9, 2023, the Bulldogs won their second straight national title, beating TCU 65 to 7.

"He's a dominant player," said Carter's former teammate (and No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft) Travon Walker to ESPN. "He's one of those guys that can wreck the whole game, the whole interior. He's a hard worker, and if he puts his mind to do something, I feel bad [for] whoever's in his way."

He entered the 2023 NFL Draft after his junior season at Georgia

On Jan. 10, 2023, one day after winning his second national championship, Carter announced his intentions to forgo his senior year at Georgia and enter the 2023 NFL Draft.

The defensive star made the announcement on Twitter, writing: "My dream since childhood has been to play in the NFL and without my mother this wouldn't be possible. I am beyond blessed to have her in my corner. With all that being said, I would like to announce that I am declaring for the NFL draft. While I am excited for the next chapter, I WILL ALWAYS BE A DAWG!"

In addition to his mother and his family, Carter thanked his high school and college coaches, teammates, fans and God in his post. He ended the tweet with #88out, referencing his number at Georgia.

In January 2023, Carter was allegedly involved in a deadly car crash

On Jan. 15, 2023 — just hours after the University of Georgia football team held their national championship celebration — Carter was involved in a car crash that killed a fellow teammate and a team staffer.

According to an arrest warrant that was issued for Carter in March, the football star was allegedly driving a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk and began racing a 2021 Ford Expedition driven by Georgia team staffer Chandler LeCroy. Per a statement from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department to PEOPLE, "both vehicles switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists and drove at high rates of speed, in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other."

LeCroy, who was intoxicated and believed to be driving 104 miles per hour, lost control of her vehicle — striking a curb, power pole and utility pole before hitting a tree. Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock, who was a passenger in LeCroy's car, was ejected and died at the scene, per the police report. LeCroy died at the hospital.

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported that Carter spoke to officers at the scene of the accident and provided conflicting statements. He first told officers he heard the crash from a nearby apartment building, then said he was driving behind LeCroy. He reportedly denied that he had been racing to the officers on the scene.

On March 1, 2023, the Athens-Clarke County Police issued an arrest warrant for Carter, charging him with reckless driving and racing. Carter turned himself into police that same night, reporting to the Athens-Clarke County Jail at 11:33 P.M. He was released at 11:49 P.M. that same night, jail records showed.

Carter pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced to probation in March 2023

On March 16, 2023, two weeks after surrendering to police, Carter was placed on probation for his alleged involvement in the car crash that killed Willock and LeCroy. His attorney, Kim Stephens, entered a plea of no contest to the charges of reckless driving and racing.

Carter was ordered to complete 12 months of probation, pay a $1,000 fine and perform 80 hours of community service, the New York Times reported. He was also required to attend a state-approved defensive driving course. Stephens told ESPN that, by resolving the matter, the state of Georgia was barred from bringing forward any additional charges related to the crash against Carter.

Stephens provided a statement to ESPN following Carter's sentencing. "We are happy that we were able to work with the solicitor general's office to reach a resolution that was fair and just based on the evidence in this case," the statement read.

"Mr. Carter continues to grieve for the loss of his friends and continues to pray for their families, as well as for the continued healing for injured friends."

He was sued by the father of his University of Georgia teammate who died in the car crash

In May 2023, Willock's father, Dave Willock, filed a $40M lawsuit against Carter for his alleged involvement in the car crash that killed his son.

The grieving father also filed the complaint against the University of Georgia's athletic association, LeCroy's estate and the strip club Toppers International Showbar.

According to court documents, the lawsuit is seeking $30 million from the defendants in compensatory damages and an additional $10 million in punitive damages from Carter. Per a report from WSB-TV, the amount "represents what his son would have made if he had gotten to the NFL."

Carter was the No. 9 pick at the 2023 NFL Draft

The fallout from the fatal car crash and Carter's subsequent probation seemed to have affected the defensive star's draft stock — which originally had him projected to be picked first overall, according to ESPN. Additionally, Carter did not attend the NFL Scouting Combine in March and struggled during his pro day on March 15, Sports Illustrated reported.

According to SI, Carter was unable to finish his position drills and did not take part in any of the on-field agility testing.

Despite questions about his character and his performance, Carter's agent Drew Rosenhaus said in April that the NFL prospect would only be visiting teams with top 10 picks, according to ESPN. "I'm confident Jalen will go in the top 10," Rosenhaus told the outlet. "He's a good person, a family man, loves football and is a generational talent."

The Philadelphia Eagles selected the defensive tackle as the No. 9 overall pick.

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