On Thursday, Penn State freshman linebacker Abdul Carter was named a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. The Alexander Freshman of the Year award has been awarded by the Maxwell Club since 2018 to the most outstanding freshman in college football.
He is one of 14 players that are up for the award, and one of three from the Big Ten conference, along with two other linebackers. Carter joins Gabe Jacas from Illinois and Jaishawn Barham of Maryland as a semifinalist for the award.
The 6-foot-3, 233-pound Carter has 35 tackles (23 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks, and that is with him missing almost a full game because he was ejected following a controversial targeting penalty in the season opener against Purdue.
The Alexander Freshman of the Year nomination is not the first honor Carter has received nationally. He was named a Midseason freshman All-American by On3.
Carter has made an instant impact on Manny Diaz’s defense with his playmaking ability when it comes to pass rushing from the linebacker position or chasing down ball carriers as his game is very similar to current Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, the last linebacker who wore No. 11 at Penn State.
The finalist will be named on Dec. 6, and the winner will be announced on Dec. 29. The winner will receive the award at a gala in March of 2023 thrown by the Maxwell Football Club.
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