Penn State DE Abdul Carter has lost out on two national awards in the span of 48 hours.
Monday night, South Carolina DE Kyle Kennard beat Carter out for the Nagurski Award— presented to the nation’s top defensive player—, despite Carter having the edge in multiple key stats.
Two nights later, Carter wasn’t named the winner of the Lombardi Award, which is presented annually to America’s top lineman, offensive or defensive.
THE 51ST #LOMBARDIAWARD WINNER, @Kelvinbanksjr12! #RotaryClubofHTX pic.twitter.com/6cO4T8BL0P
— Lombardi Award (@lombardi_award) December 12, 2024
Instead, the winner was Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. Carter and Banks were finalists along with Kennard and LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell.
It’s hard to compare resumes for the Lombardi Award since offensive linemen have virtually no stats. But it’s easy to Carter taking this personally.
‘I GOTTA GO HARDER’
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Abdul Carter
Not long after word got out that Carter didn’t win the Nagasaki, he sent two tweets in an apparent reaction.
“Bet, I gotta go harder,” he wrote.
“It’s not obvious yet?? BET,” he added four minutes later.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State DE Abdul Carter reacts to being snubbed for the Nagurski Award (best defensive player). pic.twitter.com/QsiZNONxcH
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) December 10, 2024
CARTER FOR HEISMAN?
Abdul Carter strikes the Heisman pose.
Carter felt he deserved consideration for an award much bigger than the Nagurski or Lombardi.
“I feel like, (Boise State RB) Ashton Jeanty, Travis Hunter, they are great players in their own respect but I impact the game just as much, if not more than them,” he said. “I feel like defensive players should start getting the same recognition, and we don’t. The Heisman is the top player in the country, the best player in the country, and I feel like I’m that.”
Jeanty and Hunter were two of the four finalists for the Heisman, along a pair of QBs in Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Miami’s Cam Ward.Carter and Penn State tight end Tyler Warren weren’t among the finalists
Carter is up for the Chuck Bednarik Award, another Defensive Player of the Year honor, along with Hunter and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.That award winner will be announced Thursday, Dec. 12.
