Penn State Football: Ranking the 10 best players on the 2023 roster

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 01: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads the team onto the field before the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

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Penn State freshman linebacker Abdul Carter (11) celebrates a sack in the fourth quarter against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in State College. The Nittany Lions won, 35-16.Hes Dr 112622 Psumsu /

4. LB Abdul Carter

Was there a more pleasant surprise on the 2022 team than Abdul Carter?

After being ejected for targeting early in season opener against Purdue, Carter came back and was a man on a mission the rest of the season.

Carter ended the season second on the team in tackles with 56. He also had 10.5 TFLs and a team-leading 6.5 sacks. Carter did all of this while splitting snaps with Jacobs at the WILL position.

Carter’s instant impact was a big reason why Penn State Football was so successful in 2022. Outside of Jacobs, there were a lot of question marks around the linebacker group. Carter answered many of those questions.

Now that Manny Diaz has an entire offseason to work on roles for Jacobs and Carter, Carter can expect even more production in 2023. The man wearing No. 11 certainly looks the part, like those who wore the number before him did.

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