Ohio State’s Culture, BIA Reputation and Similar Defensive Scheme to Syracuse Made Ja’Had Carter Transfer to Buckeyes

By Dan Hope on February 12, 2023 at 8:35 am
Ja’Had Carter
Mark Konezny – USA TODAY Sports
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From the moment Ja’Had Carter walked through the front door of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on his official visit to Ohio State and was greeted by a lobby full of trophies and NFL jerseys of former Buckeyes, he felt like Ohio State was the place for him.

By the time his visit ended, the former Syracuse safety was sure he wanted to be a Buckeye.

“At the end of my visit, watching that video, kinda had me ready to suit up and go out there,” Carter said.

Ranked by 247Sports as the best safety to enter the portal during the winter transfer window, Carter had plenty of possible destinations. He chose to become a Buckeye, though, because of the team’s culture and brotherhood.

“That's something that I really liked when I came on my visit and really stood out to me. So just being a part of that, BIA,” Carter said of why he chose Ohio State.

Speaking with reporters during a visit to the Ronald McDonald House of Columbus on Friday, Carter said he chose to leave Syracuse after former Syracuse defensive coordinator Tony White took the same job on Matt Rhule’s staff at Nebraska.

“I just felt like it was the best decision for me to maximize my opportunity to get to the pros,” Carter told Eleven Warriors.

Carter says his interest in Ohio State was initially piqued by watching Jeff Okudah play for the Buckeyes back when he was in high school. Given the opportunity to play for the Buckeyes now as a transfer, Carter wanted to be a part of the secondary that’s billed itself as the “Best in America.”

“A lot of those guys did well,” Carter said of Ohio State’s history at defensive back. “But Jeff Okudah, he kind of caught my eye at the time. Just the plays he was making, the swag he would bring to the game.”

Carter brings two years of eligibility to Ohio State. He says his ambition, though, is to make a big impact for the Buckeyes this year and position himself to enter the 2024 NFL draft.

“If I get the opportunity, draft, everything looking good, then that's ultimately the goal,” Carter said. 

Coming from a defense at Syracuse that featured a three-safety scheme similar to the one deployed by Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, Carter believes he will be able to transition naturally into the Buckeyes’ defense.

“It's kind of something similar to what I did at Syracuse,” Carter said. “I just like defenses like that you can go in and be able to make plays.”

Carter said he was looking to transfer to a team that used a similar defensive scheme to that which he played in at Syracuse, where he was a Freshman All-American in 2020 and an All-ACC honorable mention in 2022.

“That was something that I played in for three years, so kinda was what I was already comfortable with,” Carter said of what he was looking for schematically. “If I had to go outside my comfort zone, 100%, I would do it. But I mean, why not stay within that kind of system?”

Where exactly Carter will fit into Ohio State’s secondary remains to be determined. While he played in the slot more than anywhere else last season, he also played as a deep safety at Syracuse. While Lathan Ransom is expected to man one of the two traditional safety spots in Ohio State’s starting lineup, the other two safety spots will be up for grabs this spring, and Knowles believes Carter is capable of playing as either a nickel safety or deep safety.

“He has a lot of tools. So we'll try him out in both areas,” Knowles said earlier this month. “We're gonna see where he fits best, because I think he can help us, for sure.”

Knowles wants his safeties to be interchangeable, so Carter’s experience playing various roles at Syracuse could be an asset to the Buckeyes’ defense regardless of where he slots in on the depth chart. Ohio State safeties coach Perry Eliano also wants to see what Carter can do in different spots this spring before deciding where he should play the majority of his snaps.

“Everybody has their own little niche, but as a safety group, we got to be able to do more than one thing,” Eliano said. “So, right now, we're still in the evaluation process. And it's a fluid situation.”

Carter says he’ll be ready to play any position the Buckeyes ask him to play.

“Wherever I'm needed, I’m going to go and give it my all,” Carter said. “Whatever I'm asked to do, I’m gonna go do it and I’m going to do my best.”

“I just like defenses like that you can go in and be able to make plays.”– Ja’Had Carter on Ohio State’s defensive scheme

Even though he started 28 games in his three years at Syracuse, Carter still has to earn a starting job at Ohio State. Ryan Day has said repeatedly that Ohio State is not guaranteeing starting jobs to any transfers, and Eliano said “I'm gonna put the best players on the field,” whoever those players end up being. But Carter is embracing that competition.

“Best man’s gonna play,” Carter said. “So I just gotta give it my all.”

While he hasn’t yet taken the field for any official practices as a Buckeye, Carter has made a good impression on his new coaches so far in winter workouts.

“Ja’Had has stepped right in right off the bat and done a nice job, and so we're looking forward to seeing him on the field this spring,” Day said.

Eliano said Carter has brought a “workmanlike” approach to Columbus.

“He's got his head down, and he's working,” Eliano said. “He came here because he wanted to be developed to be the very best. He understands the task that's at hand. It's competition. And the old adage, iron sharpens iron. And so far, he's done a great job. He's just put his head down and worked. 

“He came here for a reason. He came here one, to be the very best he can be; two, to win a championship, and to put himself in the very best position he can going on to the next level.”

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