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Football Penn State LB Abdul Carter among four Nittany Lions changing positions

he's listed as 6'3" and 250. I think we will continue to see these "hybrid" position players. Will AC be standing up or with his hand in the dirt? Will he rush or drop off into coverage?

Also means that PSU feels comfortable with LB depth.
 
For Flowers, what position is "offensive side of the ball" ?

Looks like WR.

It could be a case of Daequan Hardy, a player that has a serious skill set that the staff some how missed (PR for Hardy), but more likely beginning the path that Christian Driver took.......

By my count, 13 scholarship WR's for Spring practice with the two 2024 WR's being added this summer. Likely too many for the final 2024 Fall 85 scholarship roster. Just hope that by some miracle the staff has 5 or 6 that can get open and catch a football in a real game by the end of August......

Does Rojas now move to Will with Deluka starting at Sam? Or will Wylie and Keys battle it out at Will?

I liked Carter as a game wrecker at Will especially when he was somewhat lighter as a true freshman, but "genetics" must have taken over.....
 
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Very interesting move. Could AC be as good or perhaps even better than Chop Robinson at DE? And I have not heard much about Ta’Mere Robinson‘s progress either. It will be a big spring for him.
 
I really liked what i saw from Wylie in limited time. Rojas will be exceptional. Deluca is a very good athlete and will only get bigger and better. Having Carter going after the QB every down is not a bad thing. They also know that he can drop and cover from the end position. Franklin likes to have that one guy who cannot be blocked by a tackle one on one. This is a case of getting the best 11 on the field at the same time.

Carter was always going to be listed as an Edge at the combine. That's where the money is, and he will probably be pretty stout against the run as well.
 
I really liked what i saw from Wylie in limited time. Rojas will be exceptional. Deluca is a very good athlete and will only get bigger and better. Having Carter going after the QB every down is not a bad thing. They also know that he can drop and cover from the end position. Franklin likes to have that one guy who cannot be blocked by a tackle one on one. This is a case of getting the best 11 on the field at the same time.

Carter was always going to be listed as an Edge at the combine. That's where the money is, and he will probably be pretty stout against the run as well.
Yes, Robinson could be a jewel of the 2023 class where ever he ends up playing. Like Carter, Robinson reportedly had the frame to end up at DE. But if he's still at Mike LB I don't see how Elsdon gets snaps at Will. But then again the staff just seems to like Elsdon's leadership and work ethic. How the LB's shake out this Spring has been a big interest for me for some time. But the Carter move even makes it more so. King as a starter at Mike seems to be the only given. Where Rojas starts, does Deluka start of back up at Sam, and who else of the young LB's shines and pushes for playing time at what position..... If Deluka starts at Sam, does Mills (recently moved back to LB from Safety) back him up. And all new LB coaches. A lot to sort through. See you at the B/W game....
 
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Will he still wear #11? Isn’t that reserved for the linebackers? Someone needs to ask Lavar. 😀
 
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So who are the 3 starter's at linebacker?

King
Rojas

and?
I'm betting Rojas competes with Wylie at Will some this Spring.and wins that competition. Wylie got some playing time at Will at the end of the season and looked pretty decent, but he still looked pretty light. It will be interesting to see where Rojas is playing this Spring. The PSU defense is at it's best with a dynamic player at Will, and I don't believe the PSU staff would have moved Carter without having a very good idea of who will step in at Will.
 
I really liked what i saw from Wylie in limited time. Rojas will be exceptional. Deluca is a very good athlete and will only get bigger and better. Having Carter going after the QB every down is not a bad thing. They also know that he can drop and cover from the end position. Franklin likes to have that one guy who cannot be blocked by a tackle one on one. This is a case of getting the best 11 on the field at the same time.

Carter was always going to be listed as an Edge at the combine. That's where the money is, and he will probably be pretty stout against the run as well.
is Wylie better than the DEs who will not be on the field?
 
To announce this decision like this is just a publicity stunt. Linebacker is one of the hardest positions to play and we're going to take our best LB and move him to DE when we are short on LB experience is just not smart.
 
To announce this decision like this is just a publicity stunt. Linebacker is one of the hardest positions to play and we're going to take our best LB and move him to DE when we are short on LB experience is just not smart.

I think at the root of it all, it's the best move for Carter and most likely helps the team more. He is a gifted pass rusher and through 2 seasons, he impacted games more from that role than he did as a LB stuffing the run or defending passes.

If you look deeper, it can be seen multiple ways.

Are the LBs looking good?

Are the DEs lacking?

Is this part of a shift to a 4-2-5?
 
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To announce this decision like this is just a publicity stunt. Linebacker is one of the hardest positions to play and we're going to take our best LB and move him to DE when we are short on LB experience is just not smart.
Spring is the time to experiment. Carter at DE gives flexibility to the defense to rush the passer, defend the run, or drop into coverage. Not that all of the DE's can't do that, however, his LB background gives him a clear advantage from a coverage perspective.
I don't think this move is set in stone on a permanent basis, but is more of "let's see what he looks like there." He knows the LB position well.
This is the Constanza "opposite" of Micah. Parsons went from DE to LB, Carter from LB to DE.
I'd rather have my playmakers on the line of scrimmage so hope this is a "I shall do the opposite" episode!
 
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With updated weights at DE:

Abdul Carter at 250#
Dani Dennis Sutton at 270# (up from 261#)
Zuriah Fisher at 262# (up from 254#)
Jameial Lyons at 252# (up from 246#)

One of the best group of edge rushers in the country?
 
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With updated weights at DE:

Abdul Carter at 250#
Dani Dennis Sutton at 270# (up from 261#)
Zuriah Fisher at 262# (up from 254#)
Jameial Lyons at 252# (up from 246#)

One of the best group of edge rushers in the country?
Potential is there for sure.
 
This is a grade A big boy move right here by Allen.

Why do you think Parsons was moved to DE in the NFL? Because Pry played him in the wrong spot for two years.

DE is a much more premium position than LB in both the pros and college. Allen also plays a 4-2 front 6 for a lot of snaps. DDS and Allen on the edge might be a better duo than Chop/Isaac.
 
To announce this decision like this is just a publicity stunt. Linebacker is one of the hardest positions to play and we're going to take our best LB and move him to DE when we are short on LB experience is just not smart.
Who told you he was our best LB, Carter? Honestly, I thought his LB play was inconsistent, at best.

Great athlete to be sure! IMO, this is a good move for him and it should help the team.
 
With updated weights at DE:

Abdul Carter at 250#
Dani Dennis Sutton at 270# (up from 261#)
Zuriah Fisher at 262# (up from 254#)
Jameial Lyons at 252# (up from 246#)

One of the best group of edge rushers in the country?
For me, any top 4 has to include Vanover. He played very well down the stretch. I saw a number of plays where he hustled down the field to make tackles or kept hustling when a Safety or LB made plays on a 6-15 yard gain given up by the other side of the defense. He's down from 268 to 262 it would seem to help his quickness and pass rush.

Another interesting thing at DE is Vilbert. He stayed so it would seem he believes he's competing to contribute. And he is supposedly 284 up from 278. He's a big framed kid but maybe he ends up at 3 tech DT. If he stays at DE and he has kept his quickness he could be a Courtney Brown clone.

With all the experienced DE's, not even considering the couple 2023 DE's that redshirted and the true freshman Harvey that could break out, I'm pretty surprised with the Carter move to DE.
 
This is a grade A big boy move right here by Allen.

Why do you think Parsons was moved to DE in the NFL? Because Pry played him in the wrong spot for two years.

DE is a much more premium position than LB in both the pros and college. Allen also plays a 4-2 front 6 for a lot of snaps. DDS and Allen on the edge might be a better duo than Chop/Isaac.
To be fair, Parsons is elite pretty much anywhere he lines up.
 
With all the experienced DE's, not even considering the couple 2023 DE's that redshirted and the true freshman Harvey that could break out, I'm pretty surprised with the Carter move to DE.
Well, losing two good ones in Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac. In this pre-draft piece, they are both ranked in the top 5 of prospects at DE.


And then there is the continuing challenge of beating the Buckeyes. We've seen games be very close or in PSU's favor going into the 4th Quarter and not been able to seal the deal. One factor has been that the pass rush slows down, wears down late in the game. So the need to load up for the pass rush while at the same time keeping quality at LB.
 
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Spring is the time to experiment. Carter at DE gives flexibility to the defense to rush the passer, defend the run, or drop into coverage. Not that all of the DE's can't do that, however, his LB background gives him a clear advantage from a coverage perspective.
I don't think this move is set in stone on a permanent basis, but is more of "let's see what he looks like there." He knows the LB position well.
This is the Constanza "opposite" of Micah. Parsons went from DE to LB, Carter from LB to DE.
I'd rather have my playmakers on the line of scrimmage so hope this is a "I shall do the opposite" episode!
If its not set in stone then why announce this position move? What if other LBs get injured. Just a publicity stunt to put this position change on the roster imo.
 
Well, losing two good ones in Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac. In this pre-draft piece, they are both ranked in the top 5 of prospects at DE.


And then there is the continuing challenge of beating the Buckeyes. We've seen games be very close or in PSU's favor going into the 4th Quarter and not been able to seal the deal. One factor has been that the pass rush slows down, wears down late in the game. So the need to load up for the pass rush while at the same time keeping quality at LB.
Yep, need very good DE's and 5 or 6 in order to keep the starters fresh for the 4th quarter (where PSU has given games to oh-high-ya not too long ago). Carter may be a difference maker but the other 5 experienced DE's have each shown talent as well. DDS, Vanover, Fisher, Vilbert, and Lyons.

Expecting to find two DE's that will have draft value similar to Robinson and Isaac isn't likely going to be a reality in 2024. But I really like the group from what they've each shown so far at PSU, and that doesn't include any potential surpise from any of the DE's we haven't seen yet - Mupoyi, Robinson, Harvey, and the incoming Williams.
 
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One of the guys now has an OPPORTUNITY to step up and be a difference maker at LBU.
Rumblings this past season, and more recently, that the entirety of that ‘23 LB class is ready - Rojas, Robinson, and Keys. Robinson will probably end up inside, but a lot of talk that Keys may be ready at OLB come August. He was also the scout team player of the year as well.

Allen plays a 4-2 front most of the time, something a lot of these ignorant posters aren’t mentioning.
 
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