With spring practices and games wrapping up over the next couple of weeks, everyone is getting antsy for the start of the 2024 college football season. It is officially ranking season after analysts have seen many programs in action during spring ball.
On Monday morning, CBS Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer put out his rankings of the top 100 college football players of 2024. Despite having arguably a top-10 roster in all of college football, only two Penn State players appear on Brokermeyer’s Top 100 list.
The two on the list are defensive ends [autotag]Adbul Carter[/autotag] (No. 17) and [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] (No. 78). Those two should be the bookend defensive ends for what should be a top tier Penn State defensive front.
Carter, who is making the switch from linebacker to edge, is a top-20 player, according to Brockermeyer, and arguably one of the best defenders in the country. Carter has a ton of expectations to be great, and that starts with his number 11 jersey, which makes it hard for anyone not to think of Micah Parsons. The similarities are scary; perhaps Carter can be even better than the former Penn State great.
Can I go with back-to-back Micah Parsons comps? Abdul Carter fits the bill, too, down to the No. 11 uniform. Carter had a great start to his career with excellent production in his first two seasons at Happy Valley and is making the switch to the edge this season. Carter is a dynamic, twitched-up force who is likely to have a lot of success making the move. James Franklin has called Carter “freakishly strong, ” so you can expect he will have the ability to rush speed to power. He should have a great season in Tom Allen’s attacking defensive scheme. – Brockermeyer, CBS Sports
Carter is definitely in the cards for a breakout season, and if everything falls into place, he could be the next Penn State edge rusher taken in the first round.
On the other side of the defensive line, Dani Dennis-Sutton must be loving Carter’s move to the line of scrimmage, as it should open up plenty of opportunities for Sutton to attack the quarterback. Sutton is a bigger body than Carter and can play all over the line of scrimmage and should form a dynamic 1-2 punch with Carter on the opposite side.
A powerful edge rusher with a variety of moves and the versatility to play inside as well. Dennis-Sutton has a nice motor and works the offensive linemen’s edges well and can convert with power. Nice length and get-off; a nasty tandem lined up opposite Adbul Carter. I’m high on Penn State’s defensive front. – Brockermeyer, CBS
Penn State’s defensive front should be one of the best in the nation and once again be the leader of one of the top defenses.
