Penn State DE Abdul Carter Has ‘Legitimate Shoulder Injury’ Ahead of Orange Bowl, Says Agent

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Penn State’s Orange Bowl matchup with Notre Dame is nearing, and one notable question remains unanswered: will standout defensive end Abdul Carter play?

Carter injured his left arm in the second quarter of the Nittany Lions’ 31-14 win over Boise State in last week’s Fiesta Bowl. Drew Rosenhaus, Carter’s NIL agent, joined the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday and offered some insight into Carter’s status.

“If this guy can play, physically, if there’s a chance, he will do it,” Rosenhaus said. “I’ve been an NFL agent for 36 years; this is absolutely one of the toughest human beings I’ve ever been affiliated with. Just watch this guy play. He plays so hard every snap. If he can go, he’ll go. But he has a legitimate shoulder injury. And Franklin came out and said, ‘Hey, it’s a game-time decision.’ It really is.”

Franklin told reporters on Wednesday that he “anticipates” Carter playing, but ultimately ruled him a game-time decision.

“You know there are game-time decisions where you gotta go out there, you gotta warm up, you gotta feel it,” Rosenhaus said. “You don’t know whether or not you can do it. That is gonna be something that is gonna happen in a couple hours.”

Carter, meanwhile, has posted cryptic Star Wars clips to social media throughout the week, potentially signalling his availability. He posted another on Thursday that read “Revenge of the ST1X. st1xc1ty returns in 6 hours.” Carter wears No. 11, two sticks, hence the nickname.

Carter, a consensus All-American who was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year, leads Penn State with 11 sacks and 22 tackles for loss, and projects as a top-10 selection in the upcoming NFL Draft. Rosenhaus said Carter’s availability has nothing to do with his draft stock.

“A guy like Abdul, I would never insult him by talking about a business decision,” Rosenhaus said. “This guy is a warrior. He loves his coaches and his team. He would fight to win the championship no matter how much was at risk. I was at the last game when he hurt his shoulder. This guy went back out there, tried to play. He had one arm.

“If he can play tonight, he will. There is no discussion about ‘don’t put out bad tape.’ There’s no thought about a risk of injury. He’s gonna give it his all for Penn State. His teammates deserve that. That’s who he is. That’s how he was raised by his parents.”