‘We Keep Receipts’: Carter says Tigers ‘Tired of the Disrespect’

For those who are overlooking Clemson and saying the Tigers have slipped as a program, Barrett Carter and company are paying attention and keeping tabs.

Carter, a 2022 All-American and 2023 All-ACC selection, knows Clemson hasn’t met standards or lived up to expectations in recent years.

But the senior linebacker said at ACC media days in Charlotte on Thursday that heading into the 2024 season, it’s time for the Tigers to show the world they can bounce back from some disappointing seasons and return to the ranks of the elite in college football.

“For sure, and we see everything. We keep receipts. We’re tired of the disrespect,” Carter said. “We know that we had dudes the past couple years and we’ve fallen short in those years. We’re tired of that disrespect, so it’s time for us to really show what Clemson’s about and really bring Clemson back up to the top.”

Clemson hasn’t made the College Football Playoff since 2020, and the Tigers are coming off a 9-4 (4-4 ACC) season in 2023 that snapped their streak of 12 straight seasons with 10-plus wins.

While Carter hears the outside noise and doubters, he says Clemson’s biggest motivation to get back on top comes from within.

“I think we’re self-motivated,” he said. “Obviously we don’t want to go 4-4 (in the ACC). But we know that we’ve had the talent to be the best team in the country and we haven’t been that. So, I think that’s what motivates us more than ever is just looking at our roster, knowing we have dudes at every single position. Like I said, no team’s going to bow down for us, so we have to go out there and take it from them and earn it every single day.”

When Carter arrived at Clemson in 2021, the Tigers were coming off six consecutive playoff appearances from 2015-20 and two national titles in that span. Unfortunately, in Carter’s first three seasons at Clemson, while the Tigers did win the 2022 ACC Championship, they  haven’t earned the chance to compete in the playoff for a national title.

Clemson won at least 10 games in each of Carter’s first two seasons, though the Tigers have also lost at least three games in each of his three years. That’s too many losses for the former five-star prospect from Georgia, who made it clear that going into his senior season, he’s tired of losing.

“I felt how it feels to lose games, and me, I’m not a loser. I’ve won my whole life, and that’s with anything that I’ve done,” he said. “So, that feeling that I had the past three years losing those games, it’s a sucky feeling. I don’t want to feel that ever again.

“So, I’ve attacked every single day like it’s the national championship. Hopefully when that time comes, I’m going to be ready for it. But I’ve attacked every single day like it’s the national championship. I can’t afford to lose anymore. I’ve had enough losing in my career. It’s time to really flip the narrative about what Clemson is and show them who the Clemson Tigers are.”