The days of hearing “5-star recruit Lorenzo Carter” have long been over.
In his first preseason as a Bulldog, the freshman outside linebacker faces a talented offensive line every day in practice while simultaneously trying to find his place in a rotation that includes Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins. It’s a “fresh slate” as he describes it, a chance to prove himself as a now starless college athlete.
The flattery from recruiting dare not creep its way onto the field, but Carter has had no trouble adjusting to the reality of Georgia’s practices.
“Rankings don’t mean anything when you come to college,” he said. “I think that was pretty much the first thing they told me when I got here. Rankings go out the door. You come out and you have to carry yourself with a certain swagger. I feel like if you’re ranked a 1-star or a 5-star, if you don’t have that swagger about yourself then you won’t be very productive.”
Carter has been productive in practice early on and got a sack against Faton Bauta, who opted to play as a live quarterback during a scrimmage Saturday.
“Faton asked for that red jersey so we had to do it,” Carter said. “But Faton is my homie and he was talking trash before the game so I was happy I got it against him.”
Carter didn’t mind taking a shot at Bauta, nor did he hesitate to get a little chippy with offensive tackle John Theus during one practice.
“He’s a goofy little kid, but he gets after it,” Jenkins said. “Him and Theus got into a little bout the other day, but we broke it up before things got too hectic. But I’ve got a feeling he’s going to get into it with somebody again real soon.”
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