Devan Carter enters his seventh season as head coach of the Lincoln Memorial University women’s basketball program in 2026-2027, holding an overall coaching record of 95-68. Under his leadership, the Railsplitters have developed into one of the premier programs in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) and NCAA Division II, consistently competing at both the conference and national levels.
The 2025-2026 season marked one of the most successful campaigns in program history. LMU earned national recognition throughout the year, reaching as high as No. 13 in the rankings while remaining nationally ranked all season long. The Railsplitters secured an undefeated home record and earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament for the first time in program history, making Lincoln Memorial the host site for the regional. The season featured signature victories over nationally ranked opponents, including #12 and #10 Coker and #14 North Georgia. Individually, the program produced a WBCA All-American, a D2CCA All-American, a CSC Academic All-District selection, a NCAA Southeast Regional All-Tourment team selection, a SAC All-Tournament team honoree, and the D2CCA Southeast Region Player of the Year, along with three All-Conference selections, the SAC Player of the Year, two TWSA Player of the Week honors, and four SAC Player of the Week awards. Alexa Smiddy also made program history by becoming the all-time leader in career three-pointers made.
Carter has guided LMU through multiple successful postseason campaigns, including SAC Tournament appearances in 2020-21, 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25, and 2025-26 highlighted by a SAC Tournament Runner-Up finish in the 2020-21 season. campaign. His players have earned numerous honors, including 10 SAC All-Conference selections, 3 CSC Academic All-District awards, 1 SAC All-Freshman, 2 SAC All-Tournament, 1 NCAA Southeast Regional All-Tournment, 1 D2CCA All American, 1 WBCA All-American, 1 D2CCA Southeast Regional Player of the Year, 1 SAC Player of the Year, 8 SAC Player of the Week recognitions, 2 TWSA Player of the Week selections, and 1 SAC Women’s Basketball Elite 20 winner.
Carter made history with LMU during the 2021 SAC postseason tournament by hosting a first-round game and leading the team on a magical run. The squad defeated the No. 1 seed and nationally-ranked Carson-Newman for the second time that season, becoming the first-ever eighth seed to upset the top seed in the 30-year history of the SAC tournament quarterfinals.
Prior to LMU, Carter spent five successful seasons as head coach of the Pioneer women’s basketball program at Tusculum University, also a South Atlantic Conference member. He transformed the program, leading Tusculum to back-to-back 20-win seasons, three consecutive winning campaigns, and the 2020 SAC Tournament championship. Carter was named permanent head coach midway through the 2015-16 season after serving as interim head coach and guided Tusculum to its first SAC Tournament title since 2011 by defeating 20th-ranked Anderson in the championship game.
Carter’s 2019-20 Tusculum squad set a program-best with 24 wins and a .774 winning percentage, ranking in the national top 15 in several defensive statistical categories. His teams were consistently competitive in the SAC, earning multiple All-Conference and All-Region selections, including standout players such as Mia Long and Kasey Johnson.
Before Tusculum, Carter served two seasons as an assistant coach at Hargrave Military Academy, contributing to player development and recruitment, including coaching future NBA talents like Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier.
A native of Cascade, Virginia, Carter was a four-year letterman at Elon University, playing an integral role in the program’s turnaround, including reaching the 2008 SoCon Tournament final, the program’s first nationally televised game. Following his collegiate career, Carter played professionally overseas in Europe.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Elon University and a Master of Arts degree in human resource management from Tusculum University.
