Penn State's Abdul Carter Will Play Multiple Positions This Season

The all-Big Ten linebacker, who shifted to defensive end this spring, will play some linebacker again, James Franklin said.

Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Abdul Carter (11) celebrates after sacking Maryland Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State is just under a month from its season opener at West Virginia on Aug. 31. And aligning with the endless changes coming to college football in 2024, the Nittany Lions also should give a different look for their trip to Morgantown. That’s because there’s three new coordinators in town. 

Along with the additions of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, defensive coordinator Tom Allen and special teams coordinator Justin Lustig, there are a number of new faces and one significant positional change on James Franklin’s roster.

Here are some personnel updates Franklin provided at Big Ten Football Media Days on Wednesday.

Abdul Carter ‘open’ to playing defensive end and linebacker

After two seasons at linebacker, Abdul Carter spent the spring taking most of his reps at defensive end. While that appears to be his primary position this fall, Carter also will play some linebacker. Franklin said that, after spring practice, he spoke with Carter and his family about moving between positions, which helps the Nittany Lions address game-planning advantages and depth issues at both spots.

“He'll play both. We have the flexibility to play him at both positions,” Franklin said. “He's one of the unique athletes that was playing linebacker at 250 pounds. You never know how that transition is going to go, playing in space at the linebacker position compared to moving up to the line of scrimmage and having to go against the offensive tackles. He made the adjustment pretty quickly.”

Carter, who was named a first-time All-Big Ten selection last season, “is one of the more explosive, physical athletes in all of college football,” Franklin said. The thought is that Carter won’t only cause headaches for players on the field, but for coaches game planning for such a versatile weapon.

“That will also put us in a position where people can't game plan and know exactly where he's going to be on the defense,” Franklin said. “So we're excited about that.”

Fleming ‘thriving’ in debut summer

The Nittany Lions’ wide receiver unit never really found its stride last season. Harrison Wallace III missed much of the year with an injury, KeAndre Lambert-Smith (now at Auburn) was often used sparingly and the young faces who rounded out the room struggled to separate themselves from the pack.

Penn State and wide receivers coach Marques Hagans were in desperate need for a new veteran voice, and in came Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming. Once a heavily targeted instate recruit in 2020, Fleming is “thriving” in his first summer with the Nittany Lions, Franklin said.

“I think he's got a huge chip on his shoulder and is excited about the opportunity at Penn State,” Franklin said. “He's really turned into one of the leaders in that wide receiver room."

“His improvement from the end of spring to now, he is healthy and lean and explosive and fast right now, and just from the feedback from the players over the summer, has really done a nice job,” Franklin added. “Looking at all the metrics and the numbers from our strength staff, he's in a really good position.”

Injury updates

Franklin said that he expects several players who are rehabbing "significant" injuries to be back at some point this season. That includes senior defensive end Zuriah Fisher, redshirt sophomore linebacker Keon Wylie and redshirt freshman quarterback Jaxon Smolik. Franklin said that Smolik, who also had a significant injury in high school, has been mature through the rehabilitation process.

Franklin said that Drew Shelton, the Nittany Lions' projected starting left tackle, is at full strength after missing spring drills.

Kotelnicki’s great transition

Since arriving from Kansas in December, Kotelnicki “has been great,” Franklin said. His presence has impacted every offensive position from the wide receivers to the running backs to the tight ends. But no one is likely to appreciate Kotelnicki more than quarterback Drew Allar, ahead of his second season as a starter.

“I think the big thing obviously, did a ton of good things on offense last year, but we were not explosive enough,” Franklin said. “Coach Kotelnicki and what they were able to do at Kansas the last two years, extremely explosive and just did a really good job as a relational leader, coming in and building those relationships with our staff and players.”

Allar showed his potential at times throughout last season, but struggled to connect with his wide receivers for consistent deep-play yardage. Franklin hopes that a second year of experience and a brand new play caller in Kotelnicki can get the most out of Allar.

“We're a quarterback-driven game, whether it's in the NFL, college, or high school, and having a returning quarterback at that position that did some phenomenal things -- I think he was second in touchdown to interception ratio. I think he broke the national record in completions without an interception. So, he did some phenomenal things,” Franklin said. “We've got to build on that.”

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Seth Engle has covered Penn State football and men’s basketball for the past four years, most recently serving as the football editor of the Daily Collegian. His work has appeared in the Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PennLive, Centre Daily Times and more. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @bigsengtweets.