Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is the Lions' 15th unanimous All-American and first since 2015
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is officially a unanimous All-American. The junior is the 15th player in program history to earn that honor. He is the first unanimous pick since Carl Nassib in 2015.
The NCAA uses five first teams, which come from the AFCA, Associated Press, FWAA, Sporting News, and Walter Camp Football Foundation, to determine who makes the cut for both. Carter had a top spot on all of them after a fantastic 2024 season that continues on Saturday when No. 6 Penn State hosts No. 11 SMU in a first round College Football Playoff matchup at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is set for Noon ET on TNT. Carter is also the 45th Nittany Lion to be named a consensus All-American by making at least half of the five first teams.
“He’s been tremendous for us,” Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen said Tuesday. “As you’ve seen, we’ve been able to move him around, and that will continue so they have to be able to prepare for him to be in different positions and different responsibilities or techniques he’s going to be able to use.
“I believe he’s the best defense player in the country. He’s proven that each week. So, bottom line is that as you get into this game with SMU, it’s going to be another opportunity for him to be able to do what he does best, which is disrupt. And so wherever you choose to put him in, and obviously it does affect the guys around him when they have to be able to account for him.”
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Carter also believes he is not just the best defender in the country but also the best player in the nation. He has made that point multiple times over the last month. But, he is focused on team, not individual, success ahead of kickoff.
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“I try not to focus on the success I had too much,” Carter, the 2024 Big Ten defensive player of the year, said. “I just try to keep finding ways to get better. My first year of playing the position, I’m doing really well. It’s helping me helping my teammates, but I’m still trying to find ways to get better each week.”
Penn State tight end Tyler Warren earns recognition, too
Penn State senior tight end Tyler Warren is a first-team Sporting News All-American. He earned a similar spot on the FWAA’s team. He took second-team honors from the AP, AFCA, and Walter Camp Foundation. That all means he will not be a consensus All-American.
However, he and Carter are Penn State’s 103rd and 104th players who earned first-team All-American honors. Dan Connor and Paul Posluszny were the last teammates to both claim first-team spots in the same season. That happened in 2006.
