Blue White Illustrated

January 2023

Penn State Sports Magazine

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1 6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M "The moment Penn State freshman linebacker Abdul Carter announced he was wearing No. 11, the comparisons began. Could Carter match all of the players to have worn No. 11 before him? Could he bring the same level of playmaking ability and game-changing skills as Micah Parsons? Could he move like LaVar Arrington or play with the physical- ity of NaVorro Bowman? Time would tell. "Fair or not, Carter knew what he was signing up for when he made No. 11 his own, and with Penn State's 2022 regular season over and done with, it's hard not to see a player poised to live up to the hype. If anything, a player who may have already lived up to that hype." — StateCollege.com columnist Ben Jones "I played as a true freshman, but the type of success they're having, the things these guys are doing — I wish I had that success my freshman year. These guys are all ball. They put in the work. They're humble at the same time with all their success. These are football guys, so they're going to carry this program for a long time." — Super senior defensive tackle PJ Mustipher on this year's freshman class "It's good to get back to where we know Penn State should be, and that's where Penn State should be every single year — double-digit wins and playing in big games." — Redshirt senior defensive end Nick Tarburton on the Nittany Lions' 10-2 record, their first 10- win regular season since 2019 "This cornerback class is going to be a tight race all the way until April's draft. I'm a fan of Porter, a lanky and physical defender who can reroute receivers with the best of them. He is aggressive, though he has just one career interception in 29 career starts. With all corners, the testing numbers at the combine will really matter, but I like what I see from Porter on tape. He had his hands full against Ohio State, but he impressed again." — ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. on Penn State junior cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who was ranked 17th in the Dec. 12 edition of Kiper's Big Board "Drew Allar is the quarterback Penn State has been waiting for after [Sean] Clifford's tenure, which featured plenty of success but not enough wins against the Big Ten's best teams. Allar … has been pegged as the quarterback to get Penn State back in the Big Ten/CFP conversation. "He inherits an offense that seemingly has fig- ured out its two biggest problems — the line and the running back spot. Penn State gets a huge boost with the return of offensive tackle Olumuy- iwa Fashanu, and the duo of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen will lead the run game after combin- ing for 1,771 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns as freshmen. "The 6-foot-5, 238-pound Allar saw limited time during the regular season, throwing four touch- down passes and no interceptions. Other than Mitchell Tinsley [and fellow wideout Parker Wash- ington], Penn State is set to return all of its wide receivers and tight ends. Allar's development could be the key in getting the offense closer to the top of the Big Ten, where it can challenge Michigan, Ohio State and others in 2023." — ESPN staff writer Adam Rittenberg on Penn State's outlook heading into the offseason "I'm just proud of our guys. There aren't many people who are going to come in here and win. These dudes are good. "When you prepare for a game like this, you see their talent, you see how hard they play, how involved this crowd is, the atmosphere. This is a tough place to play. Coach [Brad] Underwood is a really good coach, and he has a really good team. This is a great win for our program." — Head coach Micah Shrewsberry after the PSU men's basketball team earned a 74-59 road win over 17th-ranked Illinois on Dec. 10 They Said It "You don't have to be a football ex- pert to watch this guy play and realize he's got a chance to be really special. It's already been shown — not just flashes of it, but on a consistent basis, and he's gotten more and more con- sistent as the year has gone on. Obvi- ously, he's got a bright future." — Coach James Franklin on true freshman linebacker Abdul Carter Freshman linebacker Abdul Carter is upholding the tradition associated with Penn State's No. 11 jersey, which was previ- ously worn by the likes of Micah Parsons, LaVar Arrington and NaVorro Bowman. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE

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