Clemson Has Highest-Rated Linebacker in College Football 25

The Clemson Tigers will be one of the highest-rated defenses in the new video game and this linebacker is a big reason why.

Sep 30, 2023; Syracuse, New York, USA; Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter (0) sacks Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader (6) during the third quarter at JMA Wireless Dome. / Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

The release of EA Sports College Football 25 is just a few days away and individual player rankings continue to filter out.

Recently the game release the rankings for the top linebackers in the game at a familiar name to Clemson Tigers fans stuck out — linebacker Barrett Carter.

Carter topped the rankings with a 94, sharing the mantle with Missouri’s Jay Higgins.

The high ranking isn’t that much of a surprise when you consider that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has called Carter “one of the best pure football players I've had in 20 years."

He’s been something special the last two years playing alongside Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who is now in the NFL. He was an All-ACC selection last season and before that he was a 2022 All-American. In 1,644 career snaps and 38 games (with 26 starts), he has 170 tackles, 21 of which are for a loss. He also has nine sacks, 15 pass break-ups, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Across his last two college seasons the senior is one of three players to post 19 or more tackles for loss, 10+ passes defensed, multiple forced fumbles and multiple interceptions, joining Trotter and North Carolina’s Cedric Gray.

Big things were expected of Carter when he arrived and he hasn’t disappointed. He was a five-star recruit from North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Ga., who was the No. 17 overall player in the nation and No. 2 linebacker in the nation as rated by 247Sports. He signed early with Clemson in the Class of 2021.

Recently Clemson received three overall power rankings from EA Sports in advance of the game’s release.

The Clemson offense received a No. 10 power rankings, while the defense received a No. 5 overall rankings. As a team the Tigers were ranked No. 6 overall with a ranking of 90.

To get to those ratings, EA Sports said that its development team examined hundreds of thousands of data points, analyzed all 134 FBS roster, including thousands of players. The team also examined game film and statistics, in consultation with experts at Pro Football Focus.

Those rankings are also subject to change when EA makes updates, presumably during the season.

Clemson opens the season on Aug. 31 in Atlanta against Georgia. After the opener the Tigers return home for three straight games — vs. Appalachian State on Sept. 7, vs. NC State on Sept. 21 to open ACC play and vs. Stanford on Sept. 28, marking their first game against one of the league’s three new members, which includes Cal and SMU.

The rest of the schedule includes trips to Florida State Oct. 5 and Wake Forest on Oct. 12, followed two straight home contests with Virginia on Oct. 19 and Louisville on Nov. 2. Clemson then travels to Virginia Tech on Nov. 9 and Pitt on Nov. 16, followed by home games with The Citadel on Nov. 23 and South Carolina on Nov. 30.