“He’s the best linebacker I’ve ever coached,” said Coffee defensive coordinator Mike Granato as he discussed senior linebacker Jyarius Carter. “Jyarius is incredibly coachable. He has character and a demeanor about him. He never asks, ‘Why?’ He trusts his teammates, and he trusts his coaches. He has the ability to elevate his teammates around him.”
At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Carter has turned into one of the best linebackers in the state. On last season’s 15-0 state championship team, Carter tallied 75 total tackles (25 solo, 49 assists), 13 tackles for loss, and five pass deflections. His 75 tackles was second on the team – and he missed two regular-season games due to a staph infection in his left arm.
“I was in the hospital for a week,” Carter said. “I knew I would come back, but I didn’t know when.”
Without the infection, he would have led the team in tackles; he finished second by just three stops.
Prior to the 2022 season, new head football coach Mike Coe came to Coffee. Among the assistants he brought with him was Mike Granato, who said he didn’t know about Carter when he came to Douglas. Surprisingly, it took Granato a while to realize just how talented Carter was.
“I didn’t have any information on him when I got to Coffee,” Granato said. “There were a few kids I knew about, those who had played the year before, but I had no idea who Jyarius Carter was.”
That changed during the week of preparation prior to the game against Ware County in 2022. To get ready for Ware, Granato put together a scout team defense that ran a stacked formation. Coffee’s current group of linebackers – Carter along with Chris Reed and Mykevius Smith – ran the scout team defense flawlessly.
“We didn’t run a stacked defense at the time,” Granato said. “When I saw what they did, I told Coach Coe that we were going to have to adjust what we do for those kids.”
What Granato did was revamp his approach for the 2023 season.
“We play defense with an offensive mindset,” Granato said. “We attack the offense. How we play defense now goes back to how we set up those sophomores that week.”
The changes worked. The Trojans had the state’s best defense last season. That defensive unit, along with the GHSA’s best running back, Fred Brown, led Coffee to its first undefeated season and first state championship in school history.
Things haven’t changed much this year. At the time of this writing, the Trojan defense has given up 56 points, 11.2 points per game, en route to a 5-0 record. Carter is second on the team in tackles with 23. He also has one interception, a highlight-reel-worthy, one-handed pick against Gadsden County (Florida) on Sept. 13, and one touchdown, which came on a scoop-and-score against Columbia County (Florida) on Aug. 30.
But Carter’s best play of the season came on Sept. 20 against the Mainland High School Buccaneers (Daytona Beach). On Mainland’s third possession of the second half, Carter made a play near midfield that may have won the game for Coffee.
On fourth-and-1 with the Trojans holding on to a slim 3-0 lead, the Buccaneers went for it. If Mainland converted, their chances of winning increased dramatically. If they didn’t, the Trojans had a chance to put the game away.
Mainland running back Edward Williams took a direct snap and went right. A small hole opened, and he saw it. Before he navigated his way through, Carter stepped up and closed the gap.
“He met their guy in the hole,” Granato said. “We put all of our chips on him, and he delivered.”
The stop gave Coffee the ball on the Buccaneers’ 47-yard line. The Trojan offense marched downfield and scored to take a 10-0 lead. Coffee held on to win 10-7.
As good as that play was, as impressive as the pick was against Gadsden, you won’t hear Carter say much about either one or about any other play that he makes. He isn’t interested in talking; he’d rather just play.
“This is a new season,” Carter said. “There’s no pressure on us at all. We know what we have to do.”
Carter is also an excellent student. He carries a 3.6 GPA and always makes his grades a priority. His goal is to play college football. Currently he has three offers on the table, but more will most definitely come.
“My family has made sure I kept my grades up,” Carter said. “I want to enjoy this year, but I’ll be ready to play at the next level. I feel like I can step in and play with no problem.”
“A lot of kids want to get recruited, but not a lot want to be football players when they get on campus,” Granato said. “I don’t worry about Jyarius. He has character, and he’s a leader in the community. Whoever gets him will be extremely fortunate.”
