Penn State DE Abdul Carter ‘doing great’ ahead of Orange Bowl matchup, Franklin says
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College Football Playoff Semifinal
Penn State football is headed to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff and will face Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Read all of our coverage leading up to the Jan. 9 game at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
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Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter left the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State in the second quarter and did not return, leaving his status ahead of the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Orange Bowl up in the air.
Saturday afternoon, Penn State head coach James Franklin gave an update on how Carter is handling the situation, noting that his status remains to be determined.
“He’s doing great,” Franklin said. “His attitude is great. His mentality has been really good. We’ll see, but I think he’s taken the right approach and mentality and really it’s good. It’s going to come down to how he feels and how much practice he’s able to get during the week.”
And while he isn’t a certainty to play just yet, Franklin added that it’s more of a matter of what he can do over anything else.
“At this point, I don’t think there’s anything that is stopping him from playing, but it’s just, it’s going to come down to how is he able to play,” Franklin said. “We’ll see. We’ll see. But his mentality is great. Got a big smile on his face. I think he’s excited about this week, but it’s too early to say at this stage. And as you guys know, I don’t usually talk about these things a whole lot. I get where we’re at this is an important piece and storyline, but Abdul is going about things the right way, and we’ll see how this thing plays out.”
The Nittany Lion defensive end is arguably the best player on the team 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.
Carter has less than a week to get ready to take on the Fighting Irish, with the game set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
This story was originally published January 4, 2025 at 2:43 PM.
