Cortez Carter joined the Coastal Carolina staff in early 2025 following two seasons in a similar role at Louisiana Tech. He will coach the linebackers.
Carter’s positive influence on the LA Tech linebackers was evident during his first season in Ruston in 2023. The Bulldogs’ linebackers combined for 245 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, three sacks, two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery while playing a key role in their passing defense which ranked 18th nationally, allowing just 185.3 yards a contest. Tech had a linebacker lead the team in tackles in five of its 12 games in 2023. All three of the Carter’s starting linebackers ranked in the Top-20 of Conference USA in tackles per game. Linebacker Jeslord Boateng led the Bulldogs with 93 total tackles, ranking sixth among all CUSA players. Boateng and Brevin Randle tied for the team-lead in tackles for loss with nine apiece. Randle tallied 74 tackles in 10 games played to rank seventh among CUSA linebackers with 7.4 tackles per game. Zach Zimos registered 60 tackles in 12 games played to rank 18th in tackles per game with 5.0.
Carter arrived in Ruston after spending the previous three years on Florida State’s staff, serving as a senior analyst on defense for the Seminoles.
Prior to Florida State, he worked on Mike Norvell’s staff at Memphis as a graduate assistant in 2019. That year, Memphis won a school-record 12 games, earned the program’s first outright conference championship since 1969 and played in the Cotton Bowl.
Carter was a defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator at Lock Haven University in 2018.
He was a graduate assistant for two seasons at Marshall, working on offense in 2016 and the defensive staff in 2017. The 2017 team won eight games and finished the year with a victory in the New Mexico Bowl.
He began his coaching career at Brookpoint High School in 2015.
Carter was a four-year letterman at Marshall and appeared in 51 games during his collegiate career. He helped the Herd win 35 games, including the 2014 Conference USA championship, and play in three bowl games. In his senior season, he helped lead Marshall to its first conference title since 2002.
Carter earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration management from Marshall in 2014 and completed his master’s in continuing education from Marshall in 2017. He also holds a master’s from Memphis in sports hospitality management earned in 2019.
