Nittany Lions stay hot in Class of 2022, pick up LB Abdul Carter

Just when you thought that Penn State's July run was all but done in the Class of 2022, the Nittany Lion coaching staff has done it again, this time adding linebacker Abdul Carter.

A four-star prospect from La Salle College High outside Philadelphia, Carter's recruitment started back in April 2020 when he picked up an offer from head coach James Franklin. In the months that followed, he steadily built a relationship with defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brent Pry, but come June, he and the rest of the staff still had a few questions about Carter, so they asked him to attend the Whiteout Camp on June 6.

That's when everything changed.

At 6-foot-3, 231 pounds, Carter put together an excellent workout, running the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, while also also posting a 4.4-second time in the 20-yard shuttle. When you add in a triple broad jump that nearly reached 32 feet, plus his performance in different field drills, he put together one of the best workouts of any player that camped this summer.

That led Franklin and his staff to bring Carter back for an official visit three weeks later, June 25-27. The trip took place the same weekend that the staff was hosting many of the players who already committed, giving Carter an opportunity to bond with just about everyone.

“What impressed me the most was my position meeting with Coach Pry and how I would fit into his defense,” Carter said in the days that followed his official visit. “I like their plans and how they could use me. But also, everyone was very friendly, very welcoming. My host, Jamari [Buddin], is a pretty quiet guy, but he said he loved it up there. He said that when I come into that next level, everything moves very fast and that it’s a business. He was saying that I should do every rep I do now at 100 percent speed, in practice, in games, everything, because when I come up there, everything moves really fast.”

Carter's top schools were Penn State, South Carolina and Ole Miss. South Carolina was the only other school that hosted him for an official visit this summer. He did unofficially visit Ole Miss.

Adding a linebacker was the lone remaining positional need in Penn State's Class of 2022. With 24 players now committed, the Nittany Lions sit in an excellent position, ranked No. 2 in the nation according to the Rivals Team Rankings. It's believed that they could still add at least one more player, potentially two.

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