Breaking: Ohio State part ways with safety

Former Ohio State safety Ja’Had Carter joined the Wolfpack, marking NC State’s third transfer portal commitment in less than a week.

Carter made his selection soon after his official visit to Raleigh earlier this week.

Carter is coming off a season in which he was unable to play for the Buckeyes due to a number of ailments, one sustained during spring training and another during the season. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound safety missed the final two weeks of spring training due to a minor ailment and appeared in just two blowout games against Youngstown State and Purdue.

Though he only had five total tackles for Ohio State, he was an All-ACC Honorable Mention safety at Syracuse before transferring. Carter was a three-year starter for the Orange, totaling 135 tackles, five interceptions, seven pass deflections, and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Carter transferred to Ohio State from Syracuse in January 2023, with two seasons of eligibility remaining, giving him one year to play when he enrolls with the Wolfpack. That experience and talent he brings with him will be essential for the Pack, who require depth behind Bishop Fitzgerald, Donovan Kaufman, and fellow transfer commit Kerry Martin, who committed to State earlier this week.

Devan Boykin’s prognosis for the start of the season remains questionable as he continues to recover from injury. Add in the fact that Sean Brown was shifted to linebacker and Jakeen Harris left the program, and the Pack were noticeably low in terms of experience heading into the 2024 season before the spring transfer window.

If Carter can regain the form he demonstrated previous to his injury last year, he might be another key transfer acquisition for the Wolfpack this offseason. Carter has only one year of eligibility left, so this will be a vital season to prove himself — and he might do so for an ACC Championship contender this fall.