Damani Carter enters his third season on the Northeastern State football coaching staff serving as the defensive line coach, a role he has held since the 2022 season.
Carter's second campaign on the staff in 2023 was highlighted by the continued development of defensive lineman Chris Lee, who led the team with seven tackles for loss, despite missing the last two games of the season due to injury.
Under Carter's watch in 2022, Lee received an All-MIAA Honorable Mention selection after providing 19 solo takedowns with five tackles for loss. The defensive line played a key role in the defense's 64 tackles for loss across the season, their highest single-season total since 2016.
Carter played at the collegiate level from 2015-21. The Fayetteville, Ark. native spent the majority of his time in his hometown at the University of Arkansas, where he was a three-time Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll selection.
He wrapped up his playing career at Northeastern State (2019-21), where he bounced back from an injury-shortened 2019 season to serve as a defensive team captain in 2021 and made 28 tackles (20 solo) with 2.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.
Carter was a multi-sport athlete at Fayetteville HS, where he also played baseball and track and field. His time with the Bulldogs was highlighted by taking American Family Insurance All-USA state football team honors as a senior and playing on a state championship team in 2012.
