Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M and his toughness, mentally and physi- cally, to be able to fight through that and not get discouraged when he's getting held or when he's not getting to the quar- terback," redshirt senior defensive tackle Alonzo Ford Jr. said. That tenaciousness has been evident in the locker room, too. For all of Carter's development between the white lines, it's been his leadership skills that have seem- ingly grown the most in 2024. Follow- ing the Nittany Lions' 20-13 loss to Ohio State on Nov. 2, he was one of the pro- gram veterans who consoled teammates and made sure everyone understood they would need to quickly regroup. He was a driving presence in the Lasch Building on the Sunday after the game against the Buckeyes, pushing teammates forward so that one loss didn't turn into two the fol- lowing week against the Huskies. Wreaking Havoc Fans should savor Carter's remaining games, because they are almost certainly his last at the college level. He's been cited as a top-20 pick in many mock drafts, and in an early-November update to his 2025 big board, ESPN's Mel Kiper listed the PSU junior as his No. 3 overall draft-el- igible player and top outside linebacker. "Carter is versatile and has plenty of experience effectively operating as an off-ball linebacker, helping him crack 60 tackles in each of the past two seasons at Penn State," Kiper noted. "But the hope this season was he'd make a dent in op- ponents' game plans as a pass rusher off the edge. So far, so good. Carter has the traits to wreak havoc there, getting pressure on 15.7 percent of his pass-rush snaps. He is instinctive and fast flying to the football." As with the potential postseason awards, Carter pays no mind, at least publicly, to what experts think he can do at the next level or where he might go in the draft. After Penn State's season ends, whenever that might be, his NFL outlook will be top of mind. He could become the first Nittany Lion to be selected in the top 10 since running back Saquon Barkley went No. 2 overall to the New York Gi- ants in 2018. That's got to be a thrilling possibility for the former La Salle College High standout. For now, though, the focus is simple: keep improving, keep winning, and let the rest take care of itself. It's worked well so far, so there's no need to change the plan now in the final weeks of the regular season. "I feel like as the season goes on, I defi- nitely just keep getting better, and that's what I'm going to continue to do — just keep getting better," Carter said. "There's always something to learn. No matter how many years you've been playing, there's always going to be something to learn. "I feel like this year specifically, I learned how to really key in on my job, and play my part, do my role, and just al- low the plays to come to me." ■ Defensive Tackle Hakeem Beamon Leaves Nittany Lions Redshirt senior defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon is no longer with Penn State after leaving the football program in early November. The Midlothian, Va., native was not seen at the portion of practice that was open to reporters on Nov. 6, and a PSU spokesperson later confirmed that he had exited. No reason was given for his departure. Beamon started 18 games during the 2022 and '23 seasons and opted to take advantage of his bonus year of eligibility this fall, but his role had dwindled by midseason. After playing a season-high 23 defen- sive snaps in the opener at West Virginia, he only broke 20 snaps again in one other game, and that was in the first week of October when the Nittany Lions beat UCLA at Beaver Stadium. He was on the field for just eight defensive reps at USC, 10 at Wisconsin and seven in the team's loss to Ohio State. Beamon will finish the 2024 season with 3 tackles (1.5 for loss) over 107 total snaps. A former four-star prospect in the Lions' 2019 recruiting class, he totaled 40 career tackles, including 12 for loss and a sack, while breaking up 4 passes. Those numbers are spread over five seasons in State College. Among Penn State's regular rotation players at defensive tackle, the 6-foot-3, 290-pound Beamon had the fewest snaps this year. From a playing-time perspective, redshirt senior Alonzo Ford Jr. figures to be the biggest beneficiary of Beamon's departure. The Old Dominion transfer saw his rep count shoot to 20 against Ohio State and 29 versus Washington. Ford transferred to Penn State ahead of the 2023 campaign but suffered an injury in the offseason and did not see action last fall. He had been an honorable mention All-Sun Belt Conference selection in 2022, and Penn State liked what it saw from him before he was hurt. Now, he's getting his chance to show what he can do at the Power Four level. "Coming back from an injury like that, it's going to take time, but he's technically sound," defensive line coach Deion Barnes said in late October. "He plays to those strengths. I've been pleased with what he's doing. I have high expectations for him. That kid, when he came back, he showed through those couple practices and throughout the season that he knows how to play ball and is a good football player." Senior defensive tackle Coziah Izzard is also in line for a bump up in playing time, and second-year de- fender Ty Blanding could see his reps increase with the regular season winding down. — Sean Fitz Beamon (51) started 18 games for Penn State the previous two seasons but saw his playing time diminish during the 2024 campaign. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL