| Penn State Nittany Lions–No. 11 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end |
| Class | Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 2, 2004 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games | |
| High school | La Salle (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Abdul Jabar Carter (born January 2, 2004) is an American football defensive end. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he was named a unanimous All-American and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.
Carter was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 2, 2004, growing up in nearby Glenside. [1] He attended La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. [2] [3] As a senior, he made 78 tackles with 10 tackles for loss. [4] Carter was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Penn State over offers from South Carolina and Ole Miss. [5] Following the end of his senior season, he played in the Big 33 Football Classic. [6]
Carter enrolled at Penn State in June 2022 shortly after graduating high school. [7] He was ejected for targeting in his collegiate debut against Purdue. [8] Carter served as a key reserve at linebacker at the beginning of his freshman season. [9] [10] He made his first career start in Penn State's seventh game of the season against Minnesota. [11] Carter finished the season with 56 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, a team-leading 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and four passes broken up and was named second-team All-Big Ten Conference. [12] In 2024 Carter was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American. He declared for the 2025 NFL draft following Penn State's loss in the 2025 Orange Bowl. [13]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||
| 2022 | Penn State | 13 | 6 | 56 | 36 | 20 | 6.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2023 | Penn State | 13 | 13 | 48 | 25 | 23 | 4.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 5 |
| 2024 | Penn State | 16 | 16 | 68 | 43 | 25 | 12.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Career | 39 | 39 | 172 | 104 | 68 | 23.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 13 | |
In April 2024, Abdul Carter was charged with a misdemeanor for assaulting a tow truck driver who was towing Carter's car for parking without a permit. Carter was accused of forcefully pulling the driver from his truck, throwing him to the ground and not allowing him to get up, leaving the driver with a fractured rib. Carter was placed in a year long pre-trial intervention program in July. [14]