Martels Carter Jr. is no longer just a name on Kentucky football’s defensive back list. The Wildcats have moved him to running back for good, and coach Will Stein says that change is now permanent heading into 2026.
Carter arrived in Lexington as a defensive back and, as of Monday, Aug. 3, he was still listed that way on Kentucky’s official website roster. But after injuries piled up in the running back room during spring, the Wildcats shifted him into the backfield and kept him there.
Offensive coordinator Joe Sloan sounds like a coach who likes what he sees.
"He's an extremely athletic guy, but he can do a lot of things on a football field," Sloan, Kentucky 's offensive coordinator, said during the program's media day Monday. "I think you can see he's got great eye-hand coordination, great balance, good twitch and then he's physical. And I think that obviously comes with starting out as a defensive player right in college, so I think you see that."
Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, meanwhile, made it clear he wasn’t thrilled about losing Carter from his side of the ball. Once Carter started taking running back reps this spring, Bateman joked with him.
"'That's what you get for looking so good in those return drills,'" said Bateman, referring to Carter seeing time at punt returner. "But Martels is a really good player.
We've got to have a good plan for him. I think he'll help us on offense."
Sloan’s view is that Carter’s role now comes with a different kind of responsibility. He’s not a player bouncing between sides anymore. He’s learning the position day by day, and the details matter.
"Now it's about a daily focus. Now you’re no longer a defensive guy who got tossed over there," Sloan said.
"Right now it's about the daily focus of all the little things he needs to do, and that's what I want to see from him this August. You've got to show up every day, and now it's got to be all the details, all the little things.
"And those have got to add up so that you can go make plays, because he obviously has a skill set that's really nice for that position."
Kentucky believes Carter can handle it, even though he didn’t spend much time there in high school. At Tilghman High in Paducah, he was a two-way standout, but receiver was his main spot. As a running back, he had 12 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown.
And with the physical demands that come with the position, Sloan said the Wildcats need more than one back anyway.
"Running back, it's a violent position, right? So, that's going to be a position where you're going to play multiple players," he said.
"There are some positions where you can go most of the year, and you know somebody's going to get 90% of the snaps. That's just not the case at running back.
"I think it's a really great opportunity for him, too. And I think he saw that."
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