James Franklin shares what he’s seen from Abdul Carter throughout offseason

As kickoff to the 2023 season inches closer, Penn State football head coach James Franklin is taking some time to reflect on the Nittany Lions offseason. The Penn State headman recently shared his thoughts on what he’s seen from outside linebacker Abdul Carter throughout the offseason.

“Same thing. He’s bigger and stronger and more confident,” said Franklin. “I think Abdul’s a perfect example of a guy kind of second half of the season really took off. And he’s really kind of kept that momentum through spring ball and summer camp. So we expect him to have a big year for us. We need him to have a big year for us. But I think he’s just in a much more confident place with what he’s going to be able to do within the defense and is taking on more of a leadership role.”

In his freshman season, Carter made an impact on the defensive side of the ball in a number of games. In Penn State’s second game of the 2022 season against Auburn, the Philadelphia, PA, native finished the game with six total tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. In the Nittany Lions’ final game of the regular season against Michigan State, Carter finished the game with seven total tackles, five solo, and a career-high of two sacks. Carter would finish the year with 56 total tackles, 36 solo, 6.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. His 6.5 sacks were tops for Penn State last season.

After the impressive year Carter put together in his freshman campaign, Franklin fully anticipates his young, talented linebacker to be more with force this season. And that could spell problems for opposing offenses in 2023.

Franklin discusses how redshirt rules impact decisions on roster

Franklin also shined some light on the conversations he has had with freshman players on the topic of redshirting and discussed how the change in the redshirt rules could have an impact on his roster decisions.

“I think for a lot of them, they’re pretty self-aware. I mean, they’ve seen they haven’t either broken into the two-deep, and they kind of see the writing on the wall,” said Franklin. “Some guys aren’t; that’s always the case. There’s some guys that just aren’t as realistic with where they’re at. So, some of those conversations are hard. But most of them, they see it the same way.

“What I try to do is probably the week leading up to it, I go around and ask them where do they see themselves. And I’d say 90 percent of the group sees themselves the same way the coaches do. Now, the other thing we know is the new redshirt rule kind of changes that. You can still play a ton of football and regain your red shirt. And just because they’re not ready right now doesn’t mean they won’t be ready by Game 5.”

This season, Penn State has a total of 23 incoming freshmen on the roster, according to On3’s Recruiting database. So, it is unlikely that all 23 incoming players will get an opportunity to touch the field this season.

However, it is essential that those young players have those sit-down conversations with the coaching staff to better assess where they are in their growth and development within the program.