Tag: Abdul Carter

Penn State stars snubbed from PFF’s All-America team predictions

No Penn State players made Pro Football Focus’s preseason All-America team.

The gap between spring practice and the start of the college football season can be a trying time for fans of the sport, and there is little to do aside from predicting how the upcoming season may go. One of the common preseason debates is what players will take home All-American honors at the end of the year.

PFF analyst Mitch Kaiser recently threw his hat in the ring, predicting who he believes will be on the All-America team in college football next season. The list includes many of the top players from the 2023 season, which is to be expected with so much NFL-caliber talent returning for another season. Missing though from his list is two Penn State defenders who could be among the best players in the Big Ten this season.

Edge rusher [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Kevin Winston Jr.[/autotag] could easily play themselves into first-round pick consideration in 2024, and doing so would mean potential All-American honors. Carter is still unproven as a full-time starter along the defensive line, so his name not appearing on Kaiser’s list makes sense. Winston Jr., however, has a strong case.

Kaiser went with Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Georgia safety Malaki Starks, both excellent players coming off great seasons. Winston Jr. was even better according to their own grading system, however. He earned an 89.2 overall grade in 2023, second among returning safeties. His 92.8 tackling grade was the best in the country last season as well.

He didn’t play quite as many snaps as Downs or Starks, but I expect him to play more this season as the leader of the Nittany Lions secondary. If he can repeat his performance from last year while playing more snaps, he will be in the mix for an All-American spot.

Other players on Penn State’s roster have the talent to be All-Americans like Nicholas Singleton, Kobe King, and Tyler Warren, but they all have roadblocks to getting the statistics needed to be in consideration. Still, don’t be surprised if a few Nittany Lions are in the mix for a spot by the end of the season.

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Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis Sutton named to Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list

Penn State’s Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton have been named to the watch list for a top defensive award in 2024.

Two of Penn State’s best defensive players have started college football’s award watch list season by appearing on the watch list for the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Defensive ends [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] were included on the watch list released by the Lott IMPACT Trophy this week.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy is awarded to the nation’s top defensive player based on the award’s core principles of integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community, and tenacity. The award is named in honor of Ronnie Lott, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Carter is making a move from linebacker to defensive end this season and is expected to be a dominant force off the edge this fall. Penn State’s defensive line will feature Dennis-Sutotn on the opposite end, giving the Nittany Lions potentially one of the top defensive end combinations in the Big Ten, if not the nation. Both players have already started receiving potential first-round NFL draft pick projections for 2025.

Penn State has one all-time winner of the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Carl Nassib won the award in 2015. At the time, he was the third Big Ten player to take home the award, joining Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis (2008) and Wisconsin’s J.J. Watt (2010). Other Big Ten winners since Nassib have included Jabrill Peppers of Michigan (2016), Josey Jewell of Iowa (2017), Paddy Fisher of Northwestern (2020), and Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan (2021).

Last season’s winner of the Lott IMPACT Trophy was Michigan linebacker Junior Colson.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy match list is typically released well ahead of the rest of the individual college football award watch lists. More watch lists are scheduled to be released beginning in late July as part of the National College Football Awards Association’s calendar. The Lott IMPACT Trophy is not a part of this association.

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Continue to see the full 2024 Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list.

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Penn State creates official visit date for coveted 2025 recruit

Penn State will host a key defensive recruiting target next weekend.

It’s going to be a busy and important summer for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff as Penn State looks to land some of their priority recruits in the class of 2025.

With many official visits already locked in, they’re hoping that they can start to lock in commitments and wrap up another solid class that keeps this program on the right foot heading into the expanded College Football Playoff era.

Originally, official visit season wasn’t scheduled to start until May 31, but that changed as one of their coveted recruits couldn’t make any of the dates work for his schedule.

So, instead of losing out on the opportunity to have an elite edge rusher visit campus, Penn State created a whole new date.

Sean Fitz of On3 reported that the Nittany Lions will host four-star [autotag]Iose Epenesa[/autotag] on May 18. It will be the first official visit for the Illinois native has he’s set to also see Missouri, Iowa, Utah and Miami (subscription required).

Epenesa is rated as the 20th-best player in the country and No. 3 at his position according to 247Sports.

He has a strong bloodline as his older brother is A.J. Epenesa who plays for the Buffalo Bills. But, that bloodline might also make this a tough one for Penn State to get home as his two brothers and father played at Iowa.

Still, it’s important to bring these types of players to campus and it’s great that Franklin and everyone involved were able to get something worked out.

Epenesa would be a great addition to the Nittany Lions as they will be looking for impact players to be the next faces of the defensive line following the NFL departures of [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] in 2024 and presumably [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] following this year.

Penn State’s young linebacker continues to get buzz after spring practices

Tony Rojas is preparing to take off at linebacker for Penn State in 2024.

There might not be a single player on the roster that Penn State fans are more excited to see get a bump in playing time than [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag].

The four-star linebacker out of high school was able to avoid redshirting his freshman season last year and appeared in all 13 games on defense and special teams, recording 21 tackles, 3.5 for loss, with a forced fumble and interception.

Much of that came from him bulking up during the summer and flashing in practice prior to last season.

Now, with [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] moving to defense end, it’s expected that Rojas will fill into the starting linebacker role and become an elite player for the Nittany Lions.

Tyler Donohue of 247Sports said that will likely be the case after the sophomore put together another impressive spring. Coaches told him that they’re confident he will be able to handle the increased responsibilities and he’ll be able to perform from the opening snap (subscription required).

If the Blue-White Game was any preview of what is to come, he paired with [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] as the starting linebackers for Team White.

Rojas also admitted to “overthinking things” when he was a freshman, but is feeling much more confident in his second season.

Donohue notes that he has already started gelling with new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] and that the young linebacker was able to read-and-react at a high level, making him look like a future star at his position.

At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, he certainly has the body type that should allow him to be the starting linebacker and sustain being on the field against Big Ten competition.

Penn State could get breakout season from sophomore defensive end

Here is a potential breakout defensive player for Penn State this season.

Penn State is coming out of a season where they had two of their edge rushers get drafted by NFL teams over the weekend.

While [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] will certainly be difficult to replace, their losses are lessened by the return of [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] moving to defensive end.

As has become the norm for the Nittany Lions under the past few years under defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, they rotated many players across their defensive line throughout a game.

That’s likely going to continue with new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag].

So while it’s nice to have the returning production of Dennis-Sutton and Carter taking on a new role, they’ll still need other players to produce for them to operate like they have in the past.

According to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports, he’s expecting [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag] to have a breakout season this year based on what he’s hearing coming out of spring practices (subscription required).

At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, he certainly has the frame to be able to compete against Big Ten competition.

Lyons didn’t get much opportunity during his freshman season in 2023 because of how experienced the defensive line room was, but he still has loads of potential based on his four-star rating coming out of high school.

Donohue said that the coaching staff told him that they were confident he would have been able to handle a larger workload if it weren’t for the depth in front of him.

Instead, he was limited to 95 defensive snaps.

Lyons should have plenty of opportunities this season to showcase what he can do and [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] seems to think he’ll take that opportunity, saying that the sophomore has “got a bright future.”

He’ll certainly one to continue monitoring throughout the summer and during the early part of the year.

Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton land in USA TODAY 2025 mock NFL draft

Will Abdul Carter be a first-round draft pick in 2025? And who else could join him?

The 2024 NFL draft saw plenty of Penn State players get their names called at the podium. A total of eight Penn State players had their NFL dreams realized by being drafted in this year’s draft, including two first-round picks with Olu Fashanu and Chop Robinson. Now, looking ahead to the 2025 NFL draft, two more Penn State players could be looking like potential first-round draft picks.

USA TODAY Sports writer Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz published his 2025 way-too-early mock draft and included two Penn State players in his first mock draft. [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], who is making a move from linebacker to defensive end this season, is the first Nittany Lion on his mock draft. Carter lands at no. 22 on this mock draft, going to the Atlanta Falcons.

“Carter could follow Micah Parsons and Chop Robinson in becoming Penn State’s next explosive first-round defender,” Middlehurst-Schwartz says. “He has the chance to go considerably higher than this if his move this year from linebacker to a full-time defensive end role is fruitful, but he’s currently facing a misdemeanor assault charge in an alleged incident with a tow truck driver.”

The other Penn State player on the mock draft is defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton, who just gets in at pick no. 32 to the San Francisco 49ers.

“At 6-5 and 270 pounds, Dennis-Sutton puts together an impressive set of athletic tools for highly respected 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek to bring along,” Middlehurst-Schwartz says. “He also would give San Francisco someone who could be a long-term fixture opposite Nick Bosa.”

That would certainly be a heck of a duo on the defensive line for the 49ers, who already have a couple of Penn State players on the roster, including last year’s addition of safety Ji’Ayir Brown.

Of course, a lot can change from now until next year’s draft gets started. Kalen King was projected to be a likely first-round pick a year ago as well, and he slid to one of the last few picks in the 2024 draft. But, if Carter and Dennis-Sutton fulfill these expectations of being first-round picks, it looks like Penn State’s defense will be in for a pretty big year.

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Abdul Carter switching positions in Penn State’s defense in 2024

Penn State’s best defensive player switching positions ahead of the 2024 season.

Spring practices are underway in Happy Valley, so a new football season is approaching. Earlier today, Penn State fans got wind that the school updated its 2024 roster, which included position changes for a few players.

No position change was more notable than All-Big Ten linebacker [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] switching to defensive end. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound junior had a solid finish last season, tallying 4.5 sacks, including 3.5 in November. Carter owns 11.5 sacks through his two college seasons, and ever since he dawned the No. 11 Penn State jersey, he has been compared to [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag].

A similar plan was often discussed before Parsons’ last season at Penn State to get him more pass-rushing opportunities, but that never fully materialized.

This time around, it looks as though [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] are looking to maximize their best defensive player’s ability to disrupt opposing offensives. With the switch to defensive end, Carter can form a potentially potent pairing with former five-star recruit [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] and help replace the productivity lost from [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag].

Penn State will now have to replace Carter’s spot at linebacker, but that might be taken care of with another position change. Former safety Tyrece Mills is now listed as a linebacker on the team’s roster and could replace the roles of either NFL draft-bound [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] or Carter.

Former All-Big Ten linebacker Abdul Carter switched to defensive end ahead of the 2024 season, just like a Penn State great did before him.

Like with Micah Parsons a few years ago, no matter Abdul Carter’s position, he will be a disrupter. Watching an entire season of Carter at the defensive end and how this change can make the Penn State defense more dynamic will be exciting.

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Peach Bowl dud ends Penn State’s season with 38-25 loss to Ole Miss

Penn State’s frustrating season ended with a blowout loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

A year after celebrating a bowl victory in a shower of rose petals, Penn State’s end to the 2023 season was anything but peachy. Penn State was dominated by Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl and ended the year with a stinker in a 38-25 loss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions defense was shredded by Ole Miss, which took advantage of favorable matchups in the passing game all afternoon in Atlanta.

Penn State struck first with a field goal by [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] from 26 yards on their first offensive series of the game. That came after the defense forced a quick three-and-out against the Ole Miss defense to start the game, which led to Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart heading to the medical tent at the end of the brief possession.

Penn State may have caught some breaks on the ensuing Ole Miss possession. After the Rebels entered the red zone, officials blew dead what could have been a live ball for an Ole Miss touchdown due to a whistle for an offside penalty on Penn State. The Rebels had to settle for a field goal after officials missed another potential penalty on Penn State on the following snap.

Both teams scored twice in the second quarter with Penn State scoring a pair of touchdowns with a touchdown pass from [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] to [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and a [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] pass to [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag]. But the half ended with Penn State trailing by a score of 20-17 after giving up 340 yards of offense to the Rebels. And of the 115 passing yards Allar had at the half, 75 of them came on one play at the end of the first quarter when [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] caught a pass and ran for a big gain.

Dart had gotten in a rhythm with his passing and gashed a Penn State defense playing without its top two defensive backs and top defensive end, and a defense that took some injuries at linebacker in the first half to [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag]. Dart connected six times in the first half with tight end Caden Prieskorn, twice for a touchdown and three times for a first down, and five times with star wide receiver Tre Harris, each time for a first down.

The third quarter was a disaster for Penn State. The offense went three-and-out on all three third-quarter possessions. Meanwhile, the Rebels just continued to take advantage of its tempo to leave the Penn State defense scrambling and unable to catch up. Ole Miss added 10 points to its halftime lead and took a 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter. At that point, the game was all but decided as Penn State’s threat of a comeback was thwarted with a blocked field goal that led to an Ole Miss touchdown run by Dart to put the game well out of reach at 38-17. A late touchdown pass from Allar to [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag] cut into the Ole Miss lead, but was too little, too late.

Penn State played the Peach Bowl without some key players who opted out of the game with an eye toward their NFL futures. Penn State was without offensive lineman [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag], and cornerback [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag]. All three could be potential first-round draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft. Penn State was also without [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag], who left his position as defensive coordinator to become the head coach at Duke. The defense looked disorganized, which should have been expected given the absences from what was rated one of the top defensive units of the season. But the offensive struggles were nothing new for the roster, and there was no evidence of finding ways to change things up in the bowl game.

Penn State will now look forward to the 2024 college football season, which will be quite an interesting year for the Big Ten and the entire college football landscape. Penn State will open the 2024 season on the road at West Virginia on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. The Big Ten will also welcome four new members in Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, and Penn State will face each of them except for Oregon. The College Football Playoff will also expand to 12 teams next season, making it easier than ever for the Nittany Lions to get into the playoff mix in the playoff era. Well, if they can patch up the offense at all between now and next fall.

Penn State’s spring game, the Blue-White Game, is scheduled for Saturday, April 13, 2024.

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Olu Fashanu named Big Ten offensive lineman of the year

The return of Olu Fashanu paid off for Penn State in 2023. Now he’s adding some hardware to his collection.

When offensive lineman [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] announced he would be returning for another year at Penn State, it was a bit of a shock. Expected to be a potential first-round draft pick had he declared for the 2023 NFL draft, Fashanu gambled on a return for one more season of college football before turning pro. It seems that gamble has been paying off quite nicely.

On Wednesday, the Big Ten announced Fashanu had been named the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year. He was also a consensus first-team All-Big Ten player according to Big Ten coaches and media.

Fashanu is the second Penn State player to win the Big Ten’s top offensive lineman award. [autotag]A.Q. Shipley[/autotag] received the award in 2008. Fashanu remains a clear first-round draft pick prospect, and he could be one of the earlier picks in the draft after his performance this season.

Here is a look at how the Big Ten coaches voted for the conference’s top players on the football field in 2023. Penn State was well-represented across the board this year.

All-Big Ten selections by Big Ten coaches

  • OT Olu Fashanu (first-team)
  • DE [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] (first team)
  • LB [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] (first team)
  • DE [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] (second team)
  • RB [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] (second team offense, honorable mention special teams)
  • DB [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] (second team)
  • C [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag] (second team)
  • DL [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] (third team)
  • DB [autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] (third team)
  • DB [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag] (third team defense; second team special teams)
  • RB [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] (third team)
  • TE [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] (third team)
  • K [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] (third team)
  • OL [autotag]Caedan Wallace[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • OL [autotag]JB Nelson[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • OL [autotag]Sal Wormley[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • TE [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • WR [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • QB [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • P [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag] (honorable mention)

 

Curtis Jacobs named Butkus Award semifinalist

Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs is one of 12 semifinalists for this national linebacker award.

Penn State linebacker [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] is one of 12 semifinalists for this season’s Collegiate Butkus Award, honoring the top linebacker in college football. The Butkus Award released its list of semifinalists on Monday.

Through 9 games this season, Jacobs has 36 total tackles, 25 solo tackles, 5 tackles for a loss and 1 sack. His 36 total tackles leads the team, with two more than fellow star linebacker [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag]. Jacobs always seems to be around the football and is one of the most consistent players on what has been a tremendous defense for the Nittany Lions all year.

Jacobs is now looking to become the third player in Penn State history to win the Butkus Award. The only two players to previously win the award while wearing a Penn State uniform are [autotag]LaVar Arrington[/autotag] in 1999 and [autotag]Paul Posluszny[/autotag] in 2005.

Last year’s Butkus Award winner was Jack Campbell of Iowa, who is also the most recent Big Ten player to take home the award.

Here is the full list of semifinalists for this year’s Butkus Award.

2023 Collegiate Butkus Award Semifinalists

The winner of this year’s award will be named on or before Dec. 7.

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