Will Penn State DE Abdul Carter play in the Orange Bowl? James Franklin gives update

Penn State head coach James Franklin gave an update on defensive end Abdul Carter’s status ahead of Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.

Franklin said the team anticipates Carter playing in the game, which comes nine days after he was injured in the second quarter of the CFP quarterfinal game against Boise State.

“He’s doing everything he possibly can to play,” Franklin said Wednesday morning at the pre-Orange Bowl joint press conference with Notre Dame head caoch Marcus Freeman. “His approach has been awesome. He’s lived in the training room. But it’ll be a game-time decision, and we’ll see. Just like the guys that we’re looking at on the Notre Dame roster and concerned about their impact on the game, Abdul is one of those guys, as well. I get the question and I understand where it’s coming from, but Abdul has approached this the right way. He wants to play. He’s put a ton of, like, cryptic messages out on social media, which you guys have probably seen those. I learn as much from those as I do from our trainers. But we are hopeful and expecting Abdul to play, and we’ll see how that plays out.”

Carter did not return to that matchup after leaving it, but the social media posts Franklin referred to have been Star Wars-themed and have hinted that he’d play in the game.

The Nittany Lion star defender has been one of the best players in college football this season and has established himself as a potential top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s racked up 11 sacks so far this season to lead the team.

He’s also not the only star player whose status has been in question ahead of the game. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love has been dealing with a knee injury, but Freeman said he will be “good to go” for the game.

The Nittany Lions are set to take on the Irish at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 10:06 AM.

Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

(814) 231-6461

Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.