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Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle Jalen Carter is the son of Toni Brown. Carter, a possible top NFL Draft pick in 2023, and his family are from Florida.
Here’s what you need to know about Jalen Carter and his family:
1. Jalen Carter Grew Up in Apopka, Florida
Jalen Carter grew up in Apopka, Florida, according to his biography on the Georgia Bulldogs website. Carter played at Apopka High School, according to the bio on the Georgia website. Apopka is in Orange County, near Orlando.
His youth coach, Anthony Fieldings, told ESPN in December 2022, “I went and talked to his mom about coming and playing tackle football with us. He was just an exceptional talent before all of this. You could tell he was going to be special. He was just different than most kids, even when he was very young.”
Carter told the Orlando Sentinel in 2019 he grew up dreaming of playing college football and in the NFL, “It’s a little weird because you are always thinking about that and wishing you could be that and now, in reality, I’m going to be doing that.”
2. His Mother, Toni Brown, Is His Biggest Supporter
Jalen Carter’s mom, Toni Brown, has been his biggest supporter during his time playing football at Georgia. And he has shown her love on social media with tweets wishing her a Happy Mother’s Day alongside photos of the two of them together.
Brown, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about a viral moment when he sacked LSU’s quarterback Jayden Daniels in the SEC Championship game, “In high school on Fridays, I’d send him my little pep text message, and I still do it every Saturday morning. That morning, I said, ‘Jalen, you better get to that quarterback.’ And I probably said you better lay him on his back or something. I didn’t say put one finger up in the air.”
She added, “I asked him, ‘Jalen, what did that mean?’ He was like, ‘I was telling you I got him.’ I was super proud of that moment and the way he handled the situation and did not just sack that quarterback and lay him on his back, which is like what I probably said.”
In an interview posted on the Georgia website, Carter was asked what his favorite meal and he responded, “My mom cooks Hamburger Helper and I love it. I could eat that every day. I think it’s just the love. She calls me to come eat and when I got the plate it’s gone in a minute.” He said when he thinks of home, what comes to mind is, “Family, mom, my auntie, her kids. I think about them all the time.”
When asked about winning the national championship in 2022, his family came to mind, “It felt better than I thought it would. When I was coming up from high school I always said, I’m going to come to Georgia and help them get a national championship. And then to get the block that helped us get the national championship, that felt good.”
Ahead of the championship game in 2023, his mother was interviewed by KCAL in Los Angeles. When asked what it would take to beat TCU, she said, “Hard work and dedication. And we’ve done that all season long. We’re absolutely going home with another national championship tonight.”
3. Jalen Carter’s Mother Has Helped Him Give Back to the Community
As Jalen Carter has risen to become one of the nation’s top college football players and a likely top NFL draft pick, his mother has helped him give back to his Apopka community.
She said in a video posted to his Twitter account in August 2022 about a backpack drive for local kids, “It’s very important to give back to the community. A lot of kids, particularly in this area, would not have allotted a chance to go to school with supplies and backpacks, so we’re grateful that we’re able to do this.”
Carter also recently hosted an event with his mom at the Apopka Boys & Girls Club just before Christmas, giving out gifts and pizza to the children there, according to a post on his Twitter page. Carter tweeted he was “honored” to be able to “bless” the kids there.
Carter told Spectrum News 13, an Orlando TV station in August 2022 at a camp he ran for local kids, “I always wanted to do a camp in the Apopka community. They showed me a lot of support and I told myself that I needed to give back to the community. She pretty much set the whole camp up.”
Brown added, “He’s always loved children. He’s grown up around children with me being in the child care industry. I think he has been observant to all the camps he has gone to, so he can do something successful. He has always known that he wanted to go to the next level, he has worked very, very, very hard.”
4. Jalen Carter Played AAU Basketball With Former NBA Player Jason Williams’ Son
Jalen Carter also played AAU basketball in Apopka and was coached by former NBA player and Florida Gators star Jason Williams, according to ESPN. Williams’ son Jaxon Williams, ESPN reported.
Alex Marshall, the director of the team, the Raptors Elite, told ESPN that Carter could also have been an NBA prospect if he had stuck with basketball.
Marshall told ESPN, “He was just too athletic and too skilled. We moved him up from 13U to 14U, and he still dominated. He was just a complete athlete that could get to any spot on the floor that he wanted and do whatever he wanted. Just as he is doing in football, he was doing in basketball. He could have easily done the same in basketball.”
5. Carter’s Georgia Bulldogs’ Family Has Defended Him Ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft
Carter has also built close bonds with his team and his Georgia Bulldogs’ family has had his back amid criticism from some draft evaluators about potential character issues. Fellow defensive tackle Zion Logue told DawgNation in December 2022, “A lot of guys were just laughing at it, they don’t know the real him. They are going off what they hear from other people.”
Logue added, “He’s a very quiet guy, he likes to go about his work. When he gets around his teammates he’s a joking and loving person. I think you saw that when guys came to bat for him when someone tried to bash him.”
ESPN’s Todd McShay said in December that “character issues” could influence Carter’s draft position. Anthony Dasher, of UGASports.com, responded on Twitter, “Haven’t heard a peep about Jalen having these ‘alleged’ issues. Here’s a guy who after missing time with injuries could have called it a season and started preparing for the draft. Instead, he gets healthy and is working hard with his teammates to try and win another title.”
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