For two years, Abdul Carter was a source of stress in then-Indiana coach Tom Allen's life. In Allen's seven years at Indiana, there had been only a few players he coached against that were as disruptive as the Penn State linebacker.
"As an opposing coach, it was like, 'Man, where's No. 11 at?'" Allen said.
So when he took the job as Penn State's defensive coordinator in December 2023, Allen was looking forward to coaching Carter in Happy Valley. Allen had yet to meet with any of the players individually when he sat down to talk with Carter a few weeks later.