Ja'Tyre Carter makes big decision on his future

Ja’Tyre Carter is a big man that is used to making big plays for White Castle athletics, but last week, he made a couple of big decisions.

The Bulldogs’ heralded star decided which college he will be attending and which sport he will be putting his focus on for the future.

Though he is an All-State basketball standout, Carter decided to pursue football at Southern University.

The decision to make this transition was a tough one.

In announcing his intentions on Twitter, Carter said, “I want to thank all the coaches that offered me for basketball and gave me the opportunity to play for them, but I have had a change in heart and want to pursue my career in football—reason being, that I have a higher percentage of going pro.”

The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Carter said that with a professional football career, he will be assured that his mom will never have to work again. He will be able to take care of his grandparents—like they have taken care of him his whole life, and he will be able to help his younger brothers and cousins get into college.

Carter has had an amazing basketball career at White Castle. Just this past season, he helped lead them to a 1A state championship.

White Castle went 21-13 during the regular season, but 11 of the 13 losses came against upper-classification teams. Their only two defeats in 1A came to district champion Southern Lab—eventual state runner-up in Division IV.

The Bulldogs were runners-up in District 6-1A, and they pulled off huge non-league victories against Donaldsonville (3A), Assumption (4A) and St. Amant (5A).

White Castle entered the Class 1A playoffs as the No. 4 seed, but from the very start, they played like the top team in the tournament.

In their impressive state championship run, White Castle won all of their games by at least 13 points.

Overall, they won by an average margin of 71-45 throughout the five games.

In the state title game in Lake Charles, they cruised past sixth-seeded Tensas, 60-47, to capture the crown.

Carter was the driving force in the championship victory as he scored a game-high 19 points and brought down 17 rebounds. He was named the game’s MVP.

For the season, he averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per contest—leading to Carter being named first-team All-District 6-1A, All-Metro and All-State.

He received three scholarship offers from Xavier University of Louisiana, St. Peter’s and LSU-Alexandria. However, he ultimately decided to commit to the Southern football program.

“I want to thank my family, friends who stood by me on this journey, and my peers,” Carter said. “Thanks to the coaches who gave me an opportunity, but for the next four years, I will further my academic and football careers at Southern University. It was a hard decision switching over from basketball to football, then wanting to see what school I wanted to go to. But what’s better than home than the Bluffs?”

Carter has certainly shown his immense potential on the football field.

Last season, he earned first-team All-District 6-1A honors at tight end, and he was a second-team all-district selection from the defensive line.