New faces seem to annually surround Dylan Carpenter.
The fourth-year edge rusher from St. Amant has seen annual transfers dominate the playing time at his position. He’s just kept working.
“Coach (Nick) Savage and the staff, they’ve been doing a great job,” Carpenter said. “They really got us well-conditioned. This is the best conditioning wise I’ve been in a long time. I feel stronger than ever. I feel faster than ever. They really prepped us very well to go into the season with a lot of confidence in ourselves.”
Brayden Swinson, Ovie Oghoufu, Patrick Payton, Jack Pyburn and Jimari Butler have all been brought in to man the edges on Blake Baker’s defense the last two seasons. Carpenter has played sparingly but never transferred.
He’s watched.
“I’ve just really focused on just watching the older guys, see how they do it,” Carpenter said. “I mean, they’ve been around. They’ve had a lot more snaps than me, so I learned a lot from them. I learned how important our role is on the team and how we can really control the game at the edge position.”
Swinson had a monster season in 2024 with 13.5 tackles behind the line and 8.5 sacks as a second team All-SEC player. Last season, the statistics from the transfer defensive ends weren’t as eye-catching.
Payton, Butler and Pyburn moved on. It appeared to be Carpenter’s time to step in, but another host of new transfers showed up. Princewill Umanmielen and Jordon Ross appear entrenched as starters after coming over from SEC rivals Ole Miss and Tennessee, respectively.
Now Pyburn may return as part of the group of fifth-year players fighting the NCAA and SEC through the legal system. As always, Carpenter welcomes the competition in the room and reinforcements for the roster.
“We always need more bodies,” Carpenter said. “I’m not just saying they’re more bodies, but they’re going to help us push each other. We’re going to make each other better, and we always have great people in our room…just going to make the whole team better.”
Currently, Carpenter is working with the second defensive line. On the other edge, another local product is shining with freshman Lamar Brown of University High whol has been impressive in his first fall camp.
What took Carpenter a couple of years to ascend to has come more quickly for the blue-chip prospect. He’s in line for early action behind Umanmielen and Ross.
“He’s probably one of the best freshmen I’ve ever seen come in and just make a immediate impact,” Carpenter said of Brown. “I mean, he’s huge, strong. Everybody’s scared to go against him. He’s a good dude on and off the field. He’s just fun to hang around. He really pushes everybody else in the position room to be better.”
With Gabriel Reliford sidelined for the season and Damien Shanklin away from the team, Pyburn’s potential return would bring experience and depth. It would also make playing time tougher to come by.
That doesn’t seem to bother Carpenter who is no stranger to competition.
“We already have a strong bond, and these guys coming in doesn’t really affect anything,” Carpenter said. “We’re just going to invite them with open arms and really wish the best for them. We all want to do great. We all want to be successful, and they’re here for the same reason. So, we can bring anybody in, and it wouldn’t really affect anything.”
