Shyheim Carter (born December 15, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

and was signed by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in . He has also been a member of the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

and

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

Early life and high school

Carter was born on December 15, 1997, in

Kentwood, Louisiana Kentwood is a rural town in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States, near the Mississippi state line. The population was 2,198 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hammond Micropolitan Statistical Area. Kentwood is best known as the homet ...

. He attended Kentwood High School and played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

; he was ranked a four-star recruit and was considered one of the top prospects in the state. He was first-team all-state as both a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

and

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

and was selected to play in the

Under Armour All-America Game The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on January 5, ...

. He was also the Class 1A Offensive

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

in his last two years and led Kentwood to a state championships in 2015 after having thrown for 2,443 yards, ran for 1,648 yards, and

intercepted In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

five passes. Carter was ranked by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

as the 40th-best player nationally, the 6th-best cornerback and 4th-best player in the state. He committed to play

for the

, de-committed, and then committed to the school again.

College career

As a true

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

at Alabama in 2016, Carter appeared in nine games and posted seven tackles. He later noted that when he first arrived, he thought he would never be able to learn the playbook, but by his senior year, he had become known as one of the most knowledgeable players on the team. In Carter's

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

year, he played all 14 games and posted seven tackles with a

pass breakup In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

. Carter became a starter for the first time in the 2019 season. That year, he totaled 44 tackles, 10 pass breakups and two

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

s returned for

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s. In his senior year, 2019, Carter recorded 43 tackles, 2.5 , seven pass breakups and an interception. He finished his tenure at Alabama having appeared in 50 games, 23 as a starter at the STAR

nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adai ...

position, and recorded 101 tackles, 6.0 TFLs, 21 pass breakups, three interceptions and two forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

Professional career

New York Jets

After going unselected in the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

, Carter was signed by the

as an

, being given a contract that included $72,000 guaranteed, the second-highest among the team's undrafted signings. He was placed on the reserve/

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list on July 28, and was activated on August 15. He was waived on September 5, 2020.

Atlanta Falcons

On October 20, 2020, Carter was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

of the

. He was waived on December 8, 2020.

Houston Texans

On May 17, 2021, Carter was signed to the

after a minicamp tryout. He was waived on August 31 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was waived on October 12, 2021.

Tennessee Titans

On December 30, 2021, Carter was signed to the

practice squad. He was waived on January 4, 2022. On January 25, 2022, he was signed to a reserve/future contract. He was waived on August 22, 2022. On October 4, 2022, he rejoined the team as a member of the practice squad. He was waived on November 15, 2022. He was re-signed to the team's practice squad on January 3, 2023. Carter signed a reserve/future contract with the Titans seven days later. Carter was released at the final roster cuts, on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad the following day. He was elevated to the active roster for the Titans' Week 4 game against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

and made his debut in the win, appearing on 22 combined snaps while posting a tackle. He was signed to the active roster on October 14. He was waived on October 28 and re-signed to the practice squad three days later. Following the end of the 2023 regular season, the Titans signed Carter to a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.

Coaching career

Prior to being signed by the Texans in 2021, Carter worked as a

graduate assistant A graduate assistant serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The assistant typically helps professors with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants or with academic research respons ...

for Alabama.

Notes

References

External links

Alabama Crimson Tide bioTennessee Titans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Shyheim 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Louisiana People from Kentwood, Louisiana American football defensive backs Alabama Crimson Tide football players New York Jets players Atlanta Falcons players Houston Texans players Tennessee Titans players