He was a member of the school's Crime and Drug Prevention Task Force and was named Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior.

In his freshman season, Carter played in eleven games and started two, and tallied fourteen tackles.

[3] As a junior in 1993, he made fifty-nine tackles (11.5 for losses), 6.5 sacks, twelve pressures and blocked a field goal, and was recognized as a first-team All-SEC Selection.

[5][6] At the University of Florida Pro Day, Carter ran a 4.66 40-yard dash at 274 pounds while recording a vertical jump of 36½ inches.

[citation needed] The St. Louis Rams selected Carter in the first round (sixth pick overall) of the 1995 NFL draft.

He tallied first career safety when he sacked New York Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason in end zone (12/3/1995).

In 1998, Carter led the team in sacks with twelve and tied for sixth in the NFC, earning him the Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award as the Rams' Most Valuable Player.

Carter was a consensus All-Pro selection in 1999, in addition to being named to the All-Madden and Phil Simms' All-Iron Teams.

Carter made one of the Rams' sacks in the Super Bowl XXXIV win over the Tennessee Titans.

After the 2000 season he was traded to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2001 first-round draft choice on April 4, 2001, later used on Ryan Pickett.

Carter had 10 sacks and was voted to his second Pro Bowl in 2002 and named second-team All-Pro by Football Digest.

In December 2003, Pro Football Weekly reported, "Patriots head coach Bill Belichick argued that DL Kevin Carter—who starts at the DLE spot and plays inside on passing downs—could be considered for league MVP.

He notched the second safety of his career in win at New Orleans (October 30, 2005) when he sacked Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks in the end zone.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said this about Carter and the Dolphins' front four, "When they get to third down, they put Vonnie Holliday inside with Kevin Carter, and [David] Bowens and Jason Taylor on the edge, it's the best pass rushing group I think we've seen all year across the board.

Carter played sixteen games while starting fourteen for the Bucs in 2007, compiling forty-three tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble.

[12] Carter's agent stated, "It was big money he turned down (from Oakland), but he went with heart rather than the pocket".

[14] After passing on the Lions offer, Carter remained an unsigned free agent and subsequently retired from football.

He and his wife, Shima, established the Kevin Carter Foundation in 2002, which is an organization created to enrich the lives of children, focusing on youth and character development.