Martels Carter Jr., an all-state defensive back for Brainerd High School as a sophomore last football season, has transferred to Kentucky's Paducah Tilghman.
The program competes in Class 4A, the third-largest classification in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, and reached the third round of the playoffs last season.
Carter’s father, Martels Sr., stepped down as Brainerd’s head coach last week due to health concerns. The family has moved to Kentucky to be closer to his cardiologist as well as his wife’s family as he prepares to undergo a medical procedure.
“I’ve been dealing with health problems ever since I had COVID a couple of years ago,” said Carter, who in his lone season as coach of the Panthers led them to a 5-6 record and a return to the TSSAA Class 3A playoffs last fall after a one-year absence.
“I was on a ventilator for several days when I had COVID, and since then I’ve had heart problems and then a stroke a few weeks ago because of a blood clot, so I need to be closer to the doctors who are going to treat me. This was a tough decision for all of us, but we decided as a family that we all wanted to stay together. Plus, my wife has family there, so that will help to be closer to her support system.”
Sammy Seamster, who coached Brainerd's defensive backs the past two years, has taken over as head coach of the Region 3-3A team. Seamster was a high school star at Ooltewah before going on to Middle Tennessee State University and later played for five years in the NFL.
Martels Carter Jr. was listed as the starting quarterback for the Panthers, and the 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior also would have been counted on as a leader on the other side of the ball again. A consensus four-star defensive back, he was one of Tennessee’s highest-rated prospects for the class of 2025, with more than 30 scholarship offers — 10 from Southeastern Conference schools, including Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas A&M, as well as Clemson, Colorado, Florida State and Michigan among other Power Five programs.
Rated as high as the No. 153 overall prospect nationally and sixth in Tennessee as a football recruit, he was the second-fastest qualifier in the 100-meter dash at the state track and field meet this past spring (10.95 seconds) and helped the school’s 4x100 relay team qualify for state. On the football field last season, he had 47 tackles, three interceptions — returning two for touchdowns — seven pass breakups and four forced fumbles to go with 1,806 yards of total offense and 21 touchdowns.
Sophomore offensive lineman Jarvis Strickland (6-5, 285), who already has offers from Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Michigan State and Ole Miss, will also transfer from Brainerd to Tilghman with the Carter family.
Martels Jr. is Hamilton County’s second highly rated junior prospect to transfer outside the area after former Red Bank star Daune Morris transferred to Murfreesboro's Oakland two weeks ago.
Asked if the family might return to Chattanooga for his son’s senior season, Coach Carter said, “I need to take care of my health concerns, but coming back home is always a possibility.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.