What are Penn State's plans for Abdul Carter in 2024?
On Wednesday, Penn State head coach James Franklin met with the media as part of the Big Ten's annual media days. Among the topics discussed by Franklin was how the Nittany Lions defense was going to use star defender Abdul Carter.
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This offseason, the Philadelphia native made the move from linebacker to defensive end but while he made the move, it doesn't mean that Nittany Lions fans are only going to see Carter at defensive end.
"Abdul, we'll play at both positions," Franklin said during his time at the podium. "He's one of the unique athletes that was playing linebacker at 250 pounds. You never know how that transition is going to go. Playing in space at the linebacker position compared to moving up to the line of scrimmage and having to go against the offensive takcles. He made the transition pretty quickly and at the end of the day, you're talking about one of the more explosive, physical athletes in all of college football. We think he's got a chance to make a significant impact."
Having Carter be able to play both linebacker and defensive end wil also make it harder for opposing offenses to gameplan the Big Ten preseason honoree.
"Week to week, we'll decide where he's going to have the most impact for us," Franklin added. "This spring he stayed mostly at defensive end to get comfortable with that and then after that we had a really good conversation and he's open to doing both. That will also put us in a position people can't gameplan and know exactly where's going to be on the defense, so we're excited about that."
Through Carter's first two seasons with Penn State, he has been one of the Nittany Lions' best defenders, totaling 104 total tackles including 61 solo tackles. He's also been tough to keep out of opposing backfields with 16 career tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He also has three career forced fumbles, one interception, and 10 pass deflections.
The former La Salle College (PA) standout is expected to be one of the nation's top defenders this fall and has been discussed as a potential first-round draft pick in next year's NFL Draft.
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