University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Erik Williams
Talent And Heart
Oct 09, 2018 | Football
Carter, a 2017 Freshman All-American, leads the Tigers secondary.
Note: The TJ Carter feature first appeared in the Tigers Football GameDay program Sept. 22 when Memphis hosted South Alabama.
During his decorated high school football career, TJ Carter was no stranger to the end zone.
As a senior at Stratford High in Nashville, Carter scored 22 touchdowns, mostly as a highly regarded running back. As a junior at Hendersonville High – also in the Nashville area – he finished with 13 touchdowns, the majority from the running back position.
So when Carter, in his second season as a decorated defensive back at the University of Memphis, crossed the goal line – football securely in hand – after an interception in the team's season-opening win over Mercer at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, he was familiar with the surroundings.
Seconds earlier, he had picked off a Mercer pass near the sideline and sprinted untouched for the 35 yards needed to reach the end zone.
"You could tell he knew what to do with the football in his hands," said defensive backs coach T.J. Rushing. "He has that instinctive nature to go score. He did a great job.
"But we still gave him a hard time after the touchdown. We all hand the ball to the referee after touchdowns. He forgot. He was caught up in the moment. He was excited. He just dropped the ball to the ground."
Named to several freshman All-American teams after last season, Carter hasn't suffered many missteps since coming to Memphis. He quickly established himself in the defensive backfield after a solid preseason camp placed him atop the depth chart. He started each of the team's 13 games at cornerback and led the UofM with five interceptions.
Despite having multiple options for college, Carter found Memphis inviting because of the Tigers' roster turnover in the secondary. Several defensive backs had completed their eligibility.
"I knew coming to Memphis I'd have an opportunity to showcase my talent," Carter said. "I feel I made a good decision when I came here and took advantage of my opportunity with the help of some great coaches and great competition."
The competition was provided in practices by former receiver Anthony Miller, now in his first season with the Chicago Bears, and former quarterback Riley Ferguson, who passed for 70 touchdowns and nearly 8,000 yards in two seasons.
"I was well-prepared when my (freshman) season started," Carter said. "I had been going against veteran receivers like (All-American) Anthony Miller and Phil Mayhue and a good quarterback like Riley Ferguson. I figured we wouldn't see better competition than that the whole year. We were going against the best."
Defensive coordinator Chris Ball said Carter's ability to move into a starting role as a freshman was "an accomplishment in itself."
"And then to come in also play like he did, well, he is extremely mentally tough and smart," said Ball. "He comes out every day and proves himself. That's why he's the player that he is. He works hard and loves the process, the process of practicing and making himself better."
Carter said the pick-six in the opener was his first college touchdown and the first defensive touchdown of his career. He played primarily on offense in high school.
"I didn't play that much on defense in high school," he said. "I thought I was going to college to play running back. But, yes, that was my first pick-six ever."
Last season, Carter was the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and a second-team all-conference selection. This year, he was a preseason first-team pick.
He said the awards have more to do with playing for a successful program than any of his individual talents.
"My biggest goal is to play my heart out every game," he said. "When we do what we have to do as a team, the awards and the accolades are going to come."
Rushing said Carter "earned respect" in the locker room because of his work ethic and naturally developed into a leader.
"He puts in the work and all his teammates know that," Rushing said. "Whenever he tells them something, they listen."
Ball cherishes Carter's ability to quickly move past "getting beat" on a play.
"He uses that as a learning experience," Ball said. "He doesn't pout. He doesn't sulk. He flushes that and moves on to the next play."
And when he does get beat on a play, he makes up for it.
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If anything, Carter has been opportunistic, productive and consistent. On his first college snap, he recovered a fumble. His five interceptions last season established a program record by a freshman.
"He's a special talent," Rushing said. "And he saw what Memphis had to offer. That's the beautiful part about this."
During his decorated high school football career, TJ Carter was no stranger to the end zone.
As a senior at Stratford High in Nashville, Carter scored 22 touchdowns, mostly as a highly regarded running back. As a junior at Hendersonville High – also in the Nashville area – he finished with 13 touchdowns, the majority from the running back position.
So when Carter, in his second season as a decorated defensive back at the University of Memphis, crossed the goal line – football securely in hand – after an interception in the team's season-opening win over Mercer at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, he was familiar with the surroundings.
Seconds earlier, he had picked off a Mercer pass near the sideline and sprinted untouched for the 35 yards needed to reach the end zone.
"You could tell he knew what to do with the football in his hands," said defensive backs coach T.J. Rushing. "He has that instinctive nature to go score. He did a great job.
"But we still gave him a hard time after the touchdown. We all hand the ball to the referee after touchdowns. He forgot. He was caught up in the moment. He was excited. He just dropped the ball to the ground."
Named to several freshman All-American teams after last season, Carter hasn't suffered many missteps since coming to Memphis. He quickly established himself in the defensive backfield after a solid preseason camp placed him atop the depth chart. He started each of the team's 13 games at cornerback and led the UofM with five interceptions.
Despite having multiple options for college, Carter found Memphis inviting because of the Tigers' roster turnover in the secondary. Several defensive backs had completed their eligibility.
"I knew coming to Memphis I'd have an opportunity to showcase my talent," Carter said. "I feel I made a good decision when I came here and took advantage of my opportunity with the help of some great coaches and great competition."
The competition was provided in practices by former receiver Anthony Miller, now in his first season with the Chicago Bears, and former quarterback Riley Ferguson, who passed for 70 touchdowns and nearly 8,000 yards in two seasons.
"I was well-prepared when my (freshman) season started," Carter said. "I had been going against veteran receivers like (All-American) Anthony Miller and Phil Mayhue and a good quarterback like Riley Ferguson. I figured we wouldn't see better competition than that the whole year. We were going against the best."
Defensive coordinator Chris Ball said Carter's ability to move into a starting role as a freshman was "an accomplishment in itself."
"And then to come in also play like he did, well, he is extremely mentally tough and smart," said Ball. "He comes out every day and proves himself. That's why he's the player that he is. He works hard and loves the process, the process of practicing and making himself better."
Carter said the pick-six in the opener was his first college touchdown and the first defensive touchdown of his career. He played primarily on offense in high school.
"I didn't play that much on defense in high school," he said. "I thought I was going to college to play running back. But, yes, that was my first pick-six ever."
Last season, Carter was the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and a second-team all-conference selection. This year, he was a preseason first-team pick.
He said the awards have more to do with playing for a successful program than any of his individual talents.
"My biggest goal is to play my heart out every game," he said. "When we do what we have to do as a team, the awards and the accolades are going to come."
Rushing said Carter "earned respect" in the locker room because of his work ethic and naturally developed into a leader.
"He puts in the work and all his teammates know that," Rushing said. "Whenever he tells them something, they listen."
Ball cherishes Carter's ability to quickly move past "getting beat" on a play.
"He uses that as a learning experience," Ball said. "He doesn't pout. He doesn't sulk. He flushes that and moves on to the next play."
And when he does get beat on a play, he makes up for it.
Â
If anything, Carter has been opportunistic, productive and consistent. On his first college snap, he recovered a fumble. His five interceptions last season established a program record by a freshman.
"He's a special talent," Rushing said. "And he saw what Memphis had to offer. That's the beautiful part about this."
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