Abdul Carter became the latest Penn State football linebacker to don the No. 11 jersey, having a great Nittany Lion career to follow in the footsteps of LaVar Arrington, Navarro Bowman, Brandon Bell and Micah Parsons. Carter's best year came during his junior season when he transitioned from stand-up linebacker to edge rusher, earning a multitude of honors.
Here's everything you need to know about Abdul Carter's college career.
The vitals on Abdul Carter
School: Penn State
Position: Edge-rusher
Height: 6-3
Weight: 250 pounds
Years active: 2022-2024
Here are Carter's career stats in college.
| YEAR | GAMES | SOLO TKL | AST TKL | TOTAL | TFL | SACKS | PD | FF | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 13 | 36 | 20 | 56 | 10.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | 13 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 16 | 43 | 25 | 68 | 23.5 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | 42 | 104 | 68 | 172 | 39.5 | 23 | 14 | 5 | 1 |
Carter, a native of Philadelphia, signed with Penn State over offers that included LSU, Maryland and more, per .
What kind of prospect was Abdul Carter in high school?
Abdul Carter was a four-star linebacker at La Salle College High School in Glenside, Pa. Carter ranked as high as the sixth-best player in the Pennsylvania, the 23rd-best linebacker in the country and the 225th-best overall player in the country in the class of 2022. Carter also played power forward on his school's basketball team.
Carter was a team captain and team MVP during his senior season when he guided La Salle to a 9-2 record and Pennsylvania Catholic League Championship, finishing with 78 tackles (53 solo), 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, two passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. After the season, Carter was invited to play in the All-American Bowl. Other honors he earned included: a two-time all-state honoree and a three-time All-Philadelphia Catholic League selection.
What was Abdul Carter's record in college?
Carter played in all of the available 42 games during his Penn State career, finishing with a 34-8 record. Carter and the Nittany Lions played in a New Year's Six Bowl every year, winning the 2022 season's Rose Bowl, losing the 2023 season's Peach Bowl and advancing to the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024. Carter helped PSU win two playoff games in 2024, including the Fiesta Bowl, before losing in the semifinals.
Records set by Abdul Carter
Here are some of the notable records and statistical rankings set by Carter in college:
- 3rd in Penn State single-season tackles for loss (23.5)
- 6th in Penn State single-season sacks (12.0)
- 6th in Penn State career sacks (23.0)
- 8th in Penn State career tackles for loss (39.5)
- 12th in Penn State career forced fumbles (5)
What awards did Abdul Carter win in college?
Here are the awards and honors Carter won in college:
- Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2024)
- Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year (2024)
- Bednarik Award finalist (2024)
- Nagurski Trophy finalist (2024)
- Lombardi Award finalist (2024)
- Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalist (2024)
- Lott IMPACT Trophy semifinalist (2024)
- Unanimous Consensus All-American (2024)
- Walter Camp First-Team All-American (2024)
- AFCA First-Team All-American (2024)
- AP First-Team All-American (2024)
- FWAA First-Team All-American (2024)
- The Sporting News First-Team All-American (2024)
- All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and media (2024)
- Sports Illustrated Second-Team All-American (2023)
- Keyston Award (2023)
- All-Big Ten first team by the coaches (2023)
- All-Big Ten second team by the media (2023)
- True Freshman All-American by ESPN, PFF, On3 and 247Sports (2022)
- Freshman All-American by FWAA and College Football News (2022)
- Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year finalist (2022)
- Keystone Award (2022)
- All-Big Ten second team by the media (2022)
- All-Big Ten third team by the coaches (2022)
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