Abdul Carter: 'Coming here is where I can make my biggest impact'

Penn State’s Class of 2022 was missing just one piece heading into this year’s Lasch Bash Barbecue. By the end, James Franklin and his staff had found the linebacker that they’ve been searching for.

Philadelphia native Abdul Carter, who stands at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, admittedly didn’t plan on committing this early, but with 11 prospects committing in the span of five weeks, he knew going into Sunday’s visit that he likely couldn’t wait another month or two if this was the school he wanted to attend.

Because of that, he said he and his father spent a lot of time talking about a potential commitment in the days leading up to the visit.

“Me and my dad were talking about it a lot lately,” Carter said. “I kind of thought my recruitment would end up going a bit longer, but when we sat down and started talking about it more, really comparing my top three schools, we felt that Penn State was definitely my best fit.”

While Penn State’s staff also made it clear that space was running out, Carter said that they didn’t apply an excessive amount of pressure in the weeks leading up to his commitment.

“They’ve been telling me lately that they only have a certain amount of spots," Carter said. "They’ve been saying that they have about 23 or 24 spots available, so I knew it was getting tight, but they also told me not to worry about that. They kept telling me that I could take my time and be patient with it. I actually caught them off guard yesterday when I told them I was coming there.”

Carter went on to add, “We were just out on the field with a bunch of their coaches at the time. I just pulled them aside and told them that I was coming here, and that’s when everyone came over and congratulated me. It was just like that. It was kind of at the end of the day, but before we all sat down and talked. We were still outside at the time.”

So, what separated the Nittany Lions from his other top schools in South Carolina and Ole Miss? Carter said that Penn State fit him best “on a couple of different levels,” while adding that the recruiting class they put together made it all the more enticing.

“I think coming here, with this class they got - they got the number two ranked class right now - I think coming here is where I can make my biggest impact," Carter said. "I think this group is really strong with some great guys.

"One of the only things they were missing was another linebacker. So, I just like the fit. I think it works well for me on a couple different levels, and when you add in this class they built, there’s something special building. I think with me joining them now, the class is pretty much complete.”

Of course, Penn State has a long history of producing linebackers, which is another thing Carter was aware of.

“Penn State is [Linebacker U], so of course that’s something I thought about," he said. "I want to come in here and be the next great Penn State linebacker.”

With Carter now committed, the Nittany Lions are on pace to sign 10 players from Pennsylvania this year, which is nearly as many as they signed the last three years combined. If all of them sign, it’ll be the most since 2015, when 11 Keystone State prospects signed with Franklin and his staff.

Carter said that one of his fellow classmates, Ken Talley, who also lives in Philadelphia, played a small role in his decision.

“Ken has been recruiting me hard for awhile," he said. "Me and Ken are close. He’s been telling me for awhile now that I need to come there and help them build a national championship team.”

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