Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-10vs Abilene Christian | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 0 | 19 | Season-high 28 yds |
| Total | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 0 | 19 |
#7
Terrance Carter
Terrance Carter forced more missed tackles than any tight end in the country. He bypassed the portal and the draft to anchor a Texas Tech team with real Playoff ambitions -- the safety valve who turns a short catch into a long gain.
6′2″ · 245 lb · Killeen, TX
CFB Index 83 · #4 of 156 TEsMedium-low confidenceReturning to Texas Tech for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
28
receiving yards · 2026
3 catches · 9.3 per catch
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 3 rec, 28 yds, vs Abilene Christian
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Terrance Carter forced more missed tackles than any tight end in the country. He bypassed the portal and the draft to anchor a Texas Tech team with real Playoff ambitions -- the safety valve who turns a short catch into a long gain.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Louisiana in 2022.
- Transferred from Louisiana to Texas Tech in 2025.
Buzz vs Tape
Every angle we can check here reads about where you'd expect this season.
20own fans
20national conversation
The story
Carter's 2025 was built on what happens after the catch: roughly 46 receptions for 552 yards, and a nation-leading 23 forced missed tackles among FBS tight ends -- a 6-2, 245-pound move tight end who "excels in space." He chose to return rather than test the portal or the draft, staying to build chemistry with the Texas Tech quarterback room. The forward stakes ride the program's: the Red Raiders enter 2026 with playoff ambitions, and Carter is the reliable, run-after-catch security blanket those offenses need. He's not the highlight-reel vertical threat; he's the third-down conversion and the chunk gain that keeps drives alive.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
The week the volume broke through — put up 149 yds at Coastal Carolina.Coastal Carolina · W 34-242024
Carter is a yards-after-catch tight end -- the defining number is the one he led all FBS tight ends in: 23 forced missed tackles. At 6-2, 245, he's described as a player who "excels in space," the move-tight-end profile that wins on the catch-and-run rather than the contested deep ball. He's a chains-mover and a matchup piece in the middle of the field, the reliable target a quarterback finds when the play breaks down. The growth edge is volume and the vertical element; the floor is a dependable, tackle-breaking safety valve on a team that wants to contend.
Written by our staff.
2022
- Signed with Louisiana3-star out of Harker Heights
202412 games
- All-Sun Beltfirst
202512 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥈
ALL-SUN BELT · 1ST TEAM
All-Sun Belt 1st team (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Texas Tech
Played his entire career under Joey McGuire.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Louisiana6-7HC: Michael Desormeaux · Run-leaning
2024Louisiana10-4HC: Michael Desormeaux · Run-leaning
2025Texas Tech12-2HC: Joey McGuire · Balanced
2026Texas Tech2-0HC: Joey McGuire · Run-leaning
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
Box-score percentiles
Medium-low confidence
Concern: rec yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 3.0 REC/g, 28.0 YDS/g, 9.3 YPR, 0.0 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Joey McGuire
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.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-Big 12
Based on 2025: #3 of 19 Big 12 TEs
How the All-Big 12 estimate is computed
49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas Tech | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Texas Tech | 55 | 624 | 11.3 | 5 | -- |
| 2024 | Louisiana | 48 | 689 | 14.4 | 4 | -- |
| 2023 | Louisiana | 28 | 255 | 9.1 | 3 | -- |
| Career | 134 | 1,596 | 11.9 | 12 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 33–10
3 rec · 28 yds
Dominant 23-point win at home against Abilene Christian.
With W. Hammond — 298 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · 11 rush yds (2 car) · J. Williams — 71 rush yds (13 car) · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Carter is a yards-after-catch tight end -- the defining number is the one he led all FBS tight ends in: 23 forced missed tackles. At 6-2, 245, he's described as a player who "excels in space," the move-tight-end profile that wins on the catch-and-run rather than the contested deep ball. He's a chains-mover and a matchup piece in the middle of the field, the reliable target a quarterback finds when the play breaks down. The growth edge is volume and the vertical element; the floor is a dependable, tackle-breaking safety valve on a team that wants to contend.
Our classifier reads him the same way: shows up in the passing game from any alignment.
2026 Outlook
Texas Tech
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Tight end · Texas Tech
Returning around him
- 53% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- 9 Texas Tech players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +2 net (23 in / 21 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Texas Tech · Last season: 12-2 (AP #4) · Talent rank #29 · 2026 recruiting class #18
DNA match
Player DNA
Complete TE
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
TE
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Terrance Carter’s 2024 season.
70%match
All-Sun Belt
Matches Terrance on
Weight
Differs from Terrance on
EPA / play (adj) (lower)
Reception volume (higher)
Yards / reception (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Marshon Ford's junior season at Louisville (2022).
78%match
Matches Marshon on
Total EPA (college ability)
Weight
Yards / reception
Differs from Marshon on
Reception volume (higher)
EPA / play (adj) (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Terrance Carter
The tight end room · Texas Tech
- #7Terrance Carter624 receiving yards · 2025
- #85Jett Carpenter374 receiving yards · 2025
- #5Matt Ludwig2 games · 2026
- #83Jack Esparzano box-score line yet
- #89Jason Llewellynno box-score line yet
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology