Clemson star LB Barrett Carter out for game vs. Georgia Tech

Clemson will be without one of its top defenders for Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech. Tigers star linebacker Barrett Carter is not dressed out for the matchup, according to WYFF’s Marc Whiteman.

Carter was announced as a starter during pregame, but it appears as though he will not be playing.

The junior is second on the Clemson team in tackles with 54. He has seven tackles for loss and two sacks on the season.

Clemson will be facing off against an excellent Georgia Tech offense on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets are led by quarterback Haynes King, who entered the game with 2,330 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, as well as 545 rushing yards and five scores.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney calls Haynes King a baller

Speaking of Haynes King, Dabo Swinney had high praise for the Texas A&M transfer earlier this week. That was before he knew Barrett Carter would be unavailable for the game.

“He’s a baller. Tough, gritty, loves to play. You can tell he’s a good leader. I mean, he’s a coach’s son,” Swinney said on Thursday. “He’s been around ball his whole life. And you know, he’s just got a lot of heart and grit. I mean, he’s made a ton [of plays]. He’s [the] second-leading rusher on the team, and they got some really good backs. But he can pick them up and put them down.

“He’s a fast kid, he’s not afraid to run. They run him — they don’t design run him — but he’s not afraid to pull it down and go. If you give him any type of lane, he can smell it, he can smell the grass. And if you give him any type of free lane, he’s gonna hurt you. I mean, it’s not gonna be five yards, it’s gonna be 15-25 yards. He’s got that type of ability and then he’s made some big, big plays, those receivers have made a lot of plays for him.”

Being a team that typically scores a ton of points, the Tigers will have their hands full with King and the rest of Georgia Tech’s offense.

“They’ve done a nice job. [King] got a good little group and the backs,” Swinney continued. “They got a lot of stuff that they’re doing but they’re gonna run the counter, they’re gonna run it with the back, and they’re running with the quarterback, they’re gonna run the stretch, you know, they’re gonna get on the edge a little bit with some of their their sweep stuff and a lot of screen game. So they force you to defend all the field and then with his legs, it puts a lot of strain on you.”