Penn State Football: Carter Shines as Young Linebacker Quickly Grows into His Role

AUBURN, Ala. — Penn State true freshman linebacker Abdul Carter has it. Whatever you want to call it — swagger, confidence, talent, speed, natural instincts, an extra gear or something simply special — Carter has it in spades.

And on Saturday as the Nittany Lions upended Auburn 41-12 under a hot Alabama sun, Carter showed up and showed out en route to a six tackle, one sack, one forced fumble and one pass breakup afternoon that introduced him to the nation.

“He’s so mature, picking things up quickly. He’s fast, he’s aggressive,” Penn State coach James Franklin said of Carter after the game. “There’s something about that No. 11 and I’m glad for the lettermen who came before him that he’s representing it the right way.”

While Carter will have a ways to go to live up to the type of careers the likes of Micah Parsons, NaVorro Bowman and LaVar Arrington had while wearing the same number, he does have similar traits. There’s a physicality in how he plays, a closing speed to his tackles and a sense of the game that feels well beyond his years just months removed from arriving on campus. The same way that defensive end Arnold Ebiketie turned heads in his debut last season against Wisconsin, Carter has done the same over the past two weeks against Ohio and now Auburn. Of course, Carter may have done the same against Purdue, but a targeting call on his very first snap ended his night before it ever really began.

“That kid is so impressive, man. He just wants to get better every day,” fellow linebacker Curtis Jacobs said. “I feel like he’s doing really, really good things, and that’s going to be really beneficial for us down the road.”

For Jacobs and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, Carter’s growth and rapid development is a welcome sight for a linebackers room that had more questions than answers heading into the season. With the veteran Jacobs anchoring the unit and being a sounding board for the young Carter, Penn State has gone from linebacker being an area of potential weakness to one of growing hype and expectations. It’s a stark contrast to how the summer began, and that’s certainly a good thing for the Nittany Lions. Add in the likes of Tyler Elsdon and Jonathan Sutherland and the room starts to feel as though it has more and more depth.

“I know he’s gained more and more confidence, and I know Manny [Diaz] has gained more and more confidence in him as well,” Franklin said last week, “so that he can literally go out and use all the skills that he has, with less thinking, which will make him even more a violent and fast player.”

And thinking about Carter being faster and being more violent is a scary thought.