Is July too early for preseason All-America teams? Absolutely not. Kudos to the Walter Camp Football Foundation for kicking off the watch list season two months before the actual season.
The Walter Camp Football Foundation, which is responsible for the nation’s oldest All-America team, released its preseason roster on Monday. It included one Penn State player: defensive end Abdul Carter, a two-time All-Big Ten selection at linebacker. The Walter Camp Football Foundation recognized Carter as a second-team linebacker, even though the Nittany Lion standout will play defensive end this season.
According to his Press releaseWalter Camp, who coached at Yale, is considered the “father of American football” and selected its first All-America team in 1889. The Walter Camp Foundation was founded in 1967 to continue selecting an annual All-America team.
Carter is the only Penn State representative on Walter Camp’s preseason team. Ohio State has five representatives, including running back Quinshon Judkins and safety Caleb Downs, who transferred to the program this offseason.
Fun fact about Walter Camp’s All-America team: Penn State’s Chris Bahr was the first kicker selected, in 1975.
RELATED: Abdul Carter Signs With Drew Rosenhaus Agency For NIL Representation
Abdul Carter moves to defensive end
Carter approached the Penn State staff during the offseason to discuss the possibility of moving from linebacker to defensive end. Head coach James Franklin agreed, having considered Carter as a candidate for the position.
“I remember when we recruited Abdul. I thought he was a defensive end, and Abdul and (his) father were convinced he was a linebacker,” Franklin said. “The reality is we just wanted him in our program and we knew he was going to be a really good player wherever he decided to play. But this wasn’t something we did. I think Abdul really wanted to make this move for a number of reasons, and we’re excited about it.”
Carter’s decision followed the departure of two defensive ends, Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac, to the NFL. The Nittany Lions have plenty of talent at that position, but the addition of a player as dynamic as Carter improved it significantly.
“Obviously, we lost some defensive ends last year that were very productive,” Franklin said. “We feel really good about where we are right now, but obviously being able to inject some strength into Abdul will be positive for us as well. He was in a situation where he was struggling to keep up.”
His weight at a linebacker. Him and Kobe (King). They’ve been around 250, above or below, for a while. So I think his body was naturally telling him that he could make the move if he needed to and wanted to, and there’s an opportunity there. So having depth and talent and the kind of length that we want at the defensive end position, I think this is going to be kind of a win-win for everybody.
“… I know Abdul is excited about this and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to work with him, but it’s a big change. He’s never done this before and it’s a big change. It’s not just that you make the decision to move and snap your fingers and automatically be a defensive end. It’s a different world the closer you get to the ball, just like it’s a different world if you go back to the secondary. We’re excited to see his development and growth, and it should be exciting.”
Penn State opens the 2024 season on Aug. 31 at West Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on FOX.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinions and perspectives on the SI.com network. Editor Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, following three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.
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