Carter Selected Finalist For Bronko Nagurski Trophy – Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State junior defensive end Abdul Carter was named a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Friday.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy, presented by the Charlotte Touchdown Club, recognizes the best defensive player in college football.

Abdul Carter · Jr. · DE · 6-3 · 252 · Philadelphia, Pa. · La Salle College High School

• Named finalist for Lombardi Award on Nov. 20.
• Selected semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
• Member of watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award.
• Tabbed a Preseason All-American by the Action Network (1^st team), Associated Press (2^nd team), CBS (2^nd team), ESPN (2^nd team), The Athletic (2^nd team) and the Walter Camp Award.
• Garnered first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and second-team from the media as a linebacker in 2023 and named second-team All-Big Ten by the media and third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches in 2022.
• Tabbed second-team All-American by Sports Illustrated.
• Made switch from linebacker to defensive end following 2023 season.
• Owns 149 tackles (90 solo), 33.5 tackles for loss, 19 sacks, five forced fumbles, an interception and 12 pass breakups in his third season in Happy Valley.
• Has seven career games with 2+ tackles for loss and five games with 2+ sacks.
• His 19 sacks for tied 11th all-time at Penn State.
• In 2024, has 45 tackles (29 solo), 17.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks and two forced fumbles.
• Carter sits second in the FBS (1^st in B1G) with 17.5 tackles for loss and is 13th nationally (2^nd) with eight sacks.
• Ranks third among Power Four defensive linemen, and second in the Big Ten, with 29 solo tackles.
• Against Kent State, tallied four tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
• Notched a career-high four tackles for loss and two sacks, including a strip-sack, against Illinois.
• Earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Senior Bowl Co-Defensive Player of the Week, Bednarik Award Player of the Week and Bronko Nagurski Trophy Player of the Week honors following the Illinois game.
• Had three tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against UCLA.
• At USC, recorded a solo sack among 1.5 tackles for loss.
• Collected two sacks and four tackles vs. Ohio State.
• He notched six tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble against Washington. He had two tackles for loss, including a strip-sack, in the first quarter.
• He garnered Bednarik Award Player of the Week and Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• Recorded two tackles for loss at…