Abdul Carter
| New York Giants | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 2, 2004 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 252 lb (114 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | La Salle (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania) |
| College: | Penn State (2022–2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: 1st round, 3rd pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Unsigned draft pick |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Abdul Jabar Carter (born January 2, 2004) is an American professional football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning unanimous All-American and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024. Carter was selected by the Giants third overall in the 2025 NFL draft.
Early life
[edit]Carter was born on January 2, 2004, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[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 for 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]
He grew up a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.
College career
[edit]Carter enrolled at Pennsylvania State University 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]
College statistics
[edit]| 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 | |
Professional career
[edit]Carter was selected by the New York Giants third overall in the 2025 NFL draft.[14]
Personal life
[edit]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.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Brugler, Dane. "The Beast: 2025 NFL Draft Guide". The Athletic. The New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
- ^ Jackson, Devin (July 6, 2024). "Penn State's Abdul Carter hosts youth football camp in North Philly, talks about draft potential". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
- ^ Anastasia, Phil (October 15, 2020). "As St. Joseph's Prep showdown looms, this La Salle linebacker keeps delivering the hits". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ Bodani, Frank (December 15, 2021). "Penn State recruiting: James Franklin, Drew Allar and Nick Singleton". York Daily Record. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ Juliano, Joe (August 1, 2021). "La Salle College linebacker Abdul Carter one of two players to commit to Penn State". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ Markol, Drew (March 3, 2022). "La Salle High's Sam Brown and Abdul Carter named to Big 33 Classic". Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ Gallen, Daniel (June 16, 2022). "Freshman Abdul Carter will become the latest Penn State linebacker to wear No. 11". 247Sports.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ Al-Khateeb, Zac (September 1, 2022). "Did Penn State's Abdul Carter commit targeting vs. Purdue? LB hit with controversial ejection". Sporting News. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ Destin, Andrew (September 14, 2022). "Freshman LB Abdul Carter growing into bigger role for Penn State". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ Flounders, Bob (September 22, 2022). "Which Penn State player did James Franklin call "freakishly fast, freakishly strong" earlier this week?". The Patriot-News. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ Destin, Andrew (October 24, 2022). "Freshman LB Abdul Carter shows off his tantalizing potential in win over Minnesota". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ McGonigal, Johnny (February 10, 2023). "What Penn State star Abdul Carter learned from Micah Parsons: 'Stay hungry'". The Patriot-News. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- ^ "Penn State All-America DE Abdul Carter entering NFL draft". ESPN.com. January 10, 2025. Archived from the original on January 20, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ Salomone, Dan (April 24, 2025). "Giants select Abdul Carter with 3rd pick in 2025 NFL Draft". Giants.com. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
- ^ Rushton, Geoff (June 27, 2024). "Penn State Football Player Accepted into Diversionary Program for Assault Charge". StateCollege.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2025.