Penn State’s defense has the opportunity to be not only one of the best units in the Big Ten but one of the best in the country. One of the Nittany Lions’ star defensive linemen is a huge reason why this may be the case.
Big Ten Network football analyst Howard Griffith really likes what he sees in defensive lineman Abdul Carter. He even gave Carter a prominent distinction among the rest of the defenders in college football.
“He’s got the chance to be the best defender in college football,” Griffith said on B1G Today. “And the reason he can do that is he can play at the linebacker position, he can put his hands on the ground and rush from the defensive end…You can put him over the center, and he will cause problems anywhere on the field.”
Abdul Carter is going to give offenses fits this year 😤#B1GToday x #B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/kNwIxj5nn1
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) August 22, 2024
Griffith’s description of Carter reminds Nittany Lion fans of another prestigious Penn State defender: Micah Parsons. Parsons had a very successful 2019 season in Happy Valley, tallying 109 tackles and five sacks leading him to be selected No.12 overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. Heck, the two even share the commonality of wearing No.11.
For Carter, he hopes to continue his momentum from a solid finish to the regular season, picking up 3.5 sacks in Penn State’s final four games. Defensive tackle Zane Durant will also play a significant factor on this front seven, with the Nittany Lions losing star EDGE rusher Adisa Isaac to the NFL.
The Penn State defensive front will have a tough week 1 task ahead of them, facing a tough running back duo in West Virginia’s Jaheim White and C.J. Donaldson Jr. With new defensive coordinator and former Indiana head coach Tom Allen, we’ll see how this defense compares to the strong unit Manny Diaz worked with last season.