Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-13vs Youngstown State | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Total | — | — | — | — | — | — |
#4
Martels Carter Jr.
Sophomore defensive back on Kentucky's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 205 lb · Chattanooga, TN
Returning to Kentucky for 2026
Recruiting
4★
S recruit
No. 260 nationally · Signed with Kentucky
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 defensive back on Kentucky's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Kentucky in 2025.
Buzz vs Tape
Every angle we can check here reads about where you'd expect this season.
20own fans
27.1national conversation
Also checked out fine:
Martels Carter Jr.
Martels Carter Jr. has played for two head coaches in two seasons at Kentucky.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- head-coach lineage
His career
2025
- Signed with Kentucky4-star out of Paducah Tilghman
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Kentucky
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Kentucky
2026era →
Will Stein
Kentucky
Coaching transition mid-career: Mark Stoops → Will Stein. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025Kentucky5-7HC: Mark Stoops · Run-leaning
2026Kentucky1-1HC: Will Stein · Balanced, slow tempo
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Not enough tracked stats yet to summarize this season.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Will Stein
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 45–13
37 rush yds (5 car)
Dominant 32-point win at home against Youngstown State.
With K. Minchey — 301 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · 17 rush yds (1 car) · T. O'Hara — 42 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 45 LONG
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Kentucky
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Kentucky
Returning around him
- 4 Kentucky players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +4 net (31 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Kentucky · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #23 · 2026 recruiting class #60
The secondary · Kentucky
- #14Ty Bryant76 tackles · 2025
- #5Jordan Castell54 tackles · 2025
- #20Terhyon Nichols18 tackles · 2025
- #30Grant Grayton16 tackles · 2025
- Martels Carter Jr.4 tackles · 2025
17 more on the roster · Kentucky team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology