Abdul Carter appeared to suffer a left arm injury during Penn State’s win over Boise State in the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal.

Ahead of the Nittany Lions’ game against Notre Dame in Thursday’s semifinal at the Orange Bowl, James Franklin offered a cautiously optimistic outlook on the availability of his star defensive end.

“At this point, I don’t think there’s anything stopping him from playing, but it’s going to come down to, how is he able to play? We’ll see,” the Nittany Lions’ head coach said, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. “But his mentality is great. He’s excited about this week, but it’s too early to say at this stage.”

Carter has been an absolute force on the edge for Penn State this season, recording 11.0 sacks and 22 tackles for a loss en route to being named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and garnering first-team All-America accolades. He has appeared in every game since arriving on campus in 2022, a testament to his durability.

He is widely expected to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft when his season concludes — whether that’s after Thursday or after Jan. 20’s CFP National Championship Game — and is being projected as a consensus Top 10 pick in the most recent mock draft boards.