Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images H*ck yes! As Penn State heads toward spring practice next month, it updated its roster for the 2024 season. While the usual weight updates are notable, there was another big move for the Nittany Lions that proves the football gods are LISTENING to me. Hallelujah, Abdul Carter Is A Defensive End After years of asking, it is now official: Abdul Carter is a defensive end. https://www.youtube.com/embed/cZXeaqvaGcg?rel=0
This was discussed on the Penn State interwebs since the season end, but it’s good to see it was more than just fan fiction. Actually, a little surprised Penn State announced it this early. I fully expected a “Carter saw some reps at defensive end this spring, but he’s a valuable piece at linebacker too” quote from James Franklin after the Blue-White Game, so happy this one won’t drag out. The move is pretty simple: Carter is at his best when he’s attacking the line of scrimmage. While I don’t doubt Tom Allen would have gotten super creative with Carter blitzing from linebacker, it makes way more sense to have Carter getting after the quarterback as often as possible. With the addition of Carter, the defensive end room is looking muy bueno. Carter will likely start alongside Dani Dennis-Sutton, giving Penn State one of the five (?) best defensive end starting duos in the country? That’s certainly the case from a talent perspective. Toss in the fact that depth is still super strong — Amin Vanover, Zuriah Fisher, Smith Vilbert, and Jameial Lyons round out the three deep — and defensive end shouldn’t see a huge drop off from last year, which is impressive considering the Nittany Lions will be replacing two Day 1/Day 2 picks. Three DTs Hit Three Bills Some good weight gains happening at defensive tackle, with Dvon Ellies (298 —> 302), Coziah Izzard (295 —> 302), and Alonzo Ford Jr. (298 —> 308) all now topping 300 pounds. Add in that Zane Durant went from 285 to 288, and there’s going to be some additional mass on the defensive interior. One player who dropped weight though? Hakeem Beamon, who went from 290 to 280. That likely is strategic, similar to someone like Robert Windsor who would drop weight in the offseason before putting it back on before the season. As it turns out, not everyone can carry nearly 300 pounds all that naturally. I’d expect Beamon to be back up towards 290 by the late summer. KeAndre Lambert-Smith = Low-key Swole Usually, the eye-opening weight updates are reserved for the offensive and defensive lines where we sometimes see weight gains in the double-digits. But let’s make note that KeAndre Lambert-Smith has apparently gotten bulkier the last few weeks and months, going from 185 to 194 pounds. We’ll see what the weight gain means for Lambert-Smith’s game, but perhaps it’s a sign of a rededication of sorts for Penn State’s leading returning wide receiver? (Yes, I’m going to talk myself into KLS again, it’s that time of the offseason. Just leave me be.) Freshman Weights Fluctuate The Nittany Lions have had their new batch of early enrollees on campus for just over a month now, and as is tradition, there has been some bizarre weight fluctuations from their listed weight when they enrolled to where they are now.
- RB Quinton Martin up from 185 to 194
- OT Garrett Sexton up from 260 to 295 (!!)
- TE Luke Reynolds up from 220 to 228
- DE Jaylen Harvey up from 250 to 266
- DT Xavier Gilliam up from 280 to 294
- DT T.A. Cunningham drops from 285 to 252 (rehabbing from an injury, for the record)
- S Vaboue Toure up from 200 to 209
- CB Antoine Belgrave-Shorter up from 185 to 194
- Mehki Flowers switches from safety to wide receiver
- Tyrece Mills continues his yo-yo of safety and linebacker
- As expected, Lamont Payne goes from corner to safety
Source: https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2024/2 ... arsons-bsd