Georgia’s 2021 so-called “No Stars” defense has agents and accountants seeing stars after Jalen Carter signed an NFL-record $152 million, 4-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Atlanta Fox 5 TV anchor Miles Garrett noted on his social media account lucrative NFL deals players from UGA’s 2021 defense — none of which made USA Today’s preseason All-SEC team before that historic season, hence the “No Stars” moniker from former coordinator Dan Lanning — signed during the offseason.
• Jalen Carter, 4 years, $152 million
• Travon Walker, 4 years, $110 million
• Jordan Davis, 3 years, $78 million
• Devonte Wyatt, 3 years, $57 million
• Quay Walker, 3 years, $40.5 million
• Nakobe Dean, 3 years, $36 million
• Channing Tindall, 1 year, $1.2 million
Carter, a two-time NFL Pro Bowl player, has a deal that Adam Schefter reports includes a guaranteed $106 million and makes him the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.
Carter was a dominant force for the Bulldogs throughout his three years in Athens, a five-star signee from Apopka, Florida, who was rated the No. 18 player in the nation by the 247Sports Composite rankings.
“I have the mindset that nobody can outdo me,” Carter told the Eagles’ team website.
Carter’s defensive coordinator supports that theory.
“He disrupts the game, he’s smart, and he plays hard,” Philadelphia defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. “There aren’t many like him out there and I’m glad he’s on our side.”
The Georgia Bulldogs once were, too, as Carter proved one of the most important pieces to the team’s championship runs.
Carter played in all 10 games as a freshman before bursting on the scene as a sophomore during the first of two CFP title seasons under Kirby Smart in 2021.
That 2021 team also produced an NFL Draft-record 15 NFL picks, including five players chosen in the first round:
No. 1 overall, DE Travon Walker, Jacksonville
No. 13 overall, DT Jordan Davis, Philadelphia
No. 22 overall, LB Quay Walker, Green Bay
No. 28 overall, DT Devonte Wyatt, Green Bay
No. 32 overall, FS Lewis Cine, Minnesota
Carter, selected No. 9 overall a year later following the 2022 season, started only two of the team’s 15 games in the 2021 campaign.
Future first-round NFL picks Davis and Wyatt played ahead of Carter, but Pro Football Focus reflected how the snap count was divided between the three defensive tackles, with Wyatt playing 423 defensive snaps, Carter 396 and Davis 378.
Carter was the most disruptive of the trio with 24 QB hurries to Wyatt’s 17 and Davis’s 9 — Smart used Davis as more of a run-stuffer, while Carter and Wyatt were more often freed up in the pass rush.
Carter also excelled on special teams, turning in one of the most pivotal plays in the 33-18 win over Alabama in the CFP Championship Game.
Georgia trailed 9-6 and the Tide was driving to add to its lead, trotting kicker Will Reichard onto the field to attempt a 48-yard field goal.
Carter leaped high and blocked the kick, giving UGA possession at its own 30-yard line with 3:18 left in the third quarter.
James Cook, last season’s NFL rushing champion, took the snap on the next play and burst 67 yards up the middle to the Alabama 13-yard line.
Three players later, Zamir White scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 13-9 with 1:20 left in the third quarter.
Carter was dominant in 2022, too, helping to lead the Bulldogs to a 15-0 season and unprecedented second consecutive CFP era championship.
A well-documented traffic incident hurt Carter’s NFL Draft stock, however, leading to him falling to No. 9 overall despite his obvious talents.
Smart referred to Carter as a “generational talent” during the NFL’s evaluation phase leading up to the draft, noting how he returned from foot and knee injuries in 2022 to spearhead a dominant front.
Carter, in a famous No. 1 versus No. 1 game against Tennessee forced two fumbles, recorded two TFLs, a QB sack and four tackles as the Bulldogs beat the Vols 27-13.
“Jalen did not have to come back and play after his first injury, nor after his second injury,” Smart said. “Both times he wanted to overcome that injury. He begged us to put him in games he was hurt.
“The competitive character he’s shown I think has been really good. I also think his teammates really respect Jalen. Jalen earned the respect of his teammates. They love being around him. That’s a lot of things you can say about him.”
Carter’s relentless football nature carried over to the Eagles, as he earned his second Pro Bowl selection last season with 33 total tackles, 12 QB hits, three sacks and seven pass deflections.
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