Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
6 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M N ot so long ago, Penn State's Abdul Carter was next up at "Linebacker U." The Philadelphia native broke out as a Freshman All-American in 2022, finishing second on the team in tackles for loss with 10.5 and first in sacks with 6.5. His size, build and ath- leticism all jumped off the screen when he made his debut in blue and white. The Nittany Lions have had some elite defenders over the years, but very few have performed the way Carter did early in his career. The numbers took a step back in 2023, but he was still named a first-team All-Big Ten selec- tion by the conference's coaches. Like the man who made his No. 11 famous at Penn State roughly 25 years ago, College Football Hall of Famer La- Var Arrington, Carter has been tough to put into a box. Previous defensive coordinator Manny Diaz deployed him as an attacking member of his aggres- sive gameplan from the Will linebacker spot. What Carter did best from the second level was get to the quarterback from any angle. That thought process carried into the conversations last offseason. With Tom Allen now calling the defense, one that took fewer risks than the Diaz iteration, Carter's position became less important than his eventual usage. So, the decision was made to deploy the junior as a defensive end rather than a linebacker. Back in 2008, the Baltimore Ravens placed their franchise tag on All-Pro defender Terrell Suggs. They did so as a linebacker, though Suggs argued that he should be tagged as a defensive end. He split reps between the posi- tions the prior season, and the differ- ence between the two tagged spots was roughly $800,000. Suggs filed a griev- ance, ended up splitting the difference between the two positions and went on to sign a lucrative extension the fol- lowing offseason. With that, the term "edge rusher" worked its way into the greater football lexicon. The 2016 All-Pro team was the first to officially recognize players with the edge label. Now, it's been fully ad- opted at the highest levels. Eight of the 10 highest-paid defenders in the NFL carry the edge label. Seeking an avenue to maximize production and potential draft earn- ings, the Carter family was the driving force behind the move last offseason. James Franklin had just lost a pair of high draft picks at the position in Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac, and the coach went along with what he said was always a possibility. "I remember when we recruited Ab- dul, I thought he was a defensive end," Franklin said in the spring. "Abdul and his dad were adamant that he was a linebacker. We just wanted him in our program and knew he was going to be a really good player wherever he decided to play. "But this wasn't really something from us. This was Abdul really wanting to make this move, I think for a number of reasons. And we're excited about it." Carter didn't get his first sack from the defensive end position until Game 3 against Kent State. Penn State's pass rush was held in check while oppo- nents went to quick passing attacks week after week. Some argued that Carter needed to go back to linebacker — a position overvalued by Nittany Li- ons fans based on its history — and that he was being wasted playing on one side at defensive end. Ignored in that argument was the attention that opposing coaches were sending Carter's way. Often, his pres- ence alone would call for two or even three blockers on his side. By the end of September, the vision was becoming clearer. He had a pair of sacks against Illinois, and recently put together multi-sack performances on big stages against Ohio State and Washington. With the Nittany Lions in their stretch run, Carter is one of two front- runners for the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year Award along with Indiana's Mikail Kamara. He's a semi- finalist for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year, the Bednarik Award and the Lombardi Award, and he was recently rated as the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft by ESPN.com. Entering what are likely the final two regular-season games of his Penn State career, Carter had 149 tackles includ- ing 33.5 for loss, 19 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. His career numbers will stack up favorably to Arrington, who put up 173 stops, 39 tackles for loss and 19 sacks from 1997-99. It's easier to quantify what Tyler Warren has been able to do for the Nit- tany Lions because the ball goes his way on offense. While Warren has been outstanding, Carter has played his way into the conversation as one of Penn State's all-time greats on the defensive side of the ball, regardless of position. Now that he's wrapping up his time in Happy Valley, hopefully he can be ap- preciated as such. ■ Carter has been a playmaking force for Penn State, even with opponents devoting extra manpower to try to neutralize him. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT Abdul Carter Ranks Among PSU's All-Time Defensive Greats JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N SEAN FITZ SEAN.FITZ@ON3.COM