He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, earning consensus All-American honors in 2010.

Growing up in the inner-city of North Las Vegas, Carter attended Cheyenne High School where he played the quarterback position in football, throwing for 650-plus yards and eight touchdowns during a regular season.

In this standout year, he started at free safety with eighty stops, becoming the team's second-leading tackler, and tied his career-high ten tackles against both BYU and Texas Tech.

He ended the season with 88 tackles and four interceptions, placing him on the 2010 Jim Thorpe Watch List, the 2010 All-Big 12 team, and as a nominee for the Lowe's Senior Class Award.

[8] In the 2011 NFL Season Carter became the Broncos' starting safety next to Brian Dawkins, ahead of 2nd round draft pick Rahim Moore.

He would also intercept Ben Roethlisberger in the Broncos' wild card victory over the Steelers, as well as Tom Brady in the divisional round loss.

Officials at Texas Station alleged that he added money to his wagers after the dice has been rolled in craps.