Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1378330
- pounder from Brooklyn, N.Y., is hoping to benefit from the experiences of Toney and the other players who came before him. "I've been picking his brain since I got on campus, just asking him, 'How do you do this? When do you do this? Why do you do this?' " Isaac said. The goal, he ex- plained, is to learn more about how play- ers such as Toney "carried themselves, how they practiced, how they led – just finding little pieces that I can add and in- corporate into this team that we have here." Ebiketie, a 6-3, 244-pounder from Sil- ver Spring, Md., has had to find a way to quickly blend into the culture that those previous players created. He had enjoyed a steady rise at Temple, appearing in one game as a redshirt freshman, then 12 games the following year, and finally breaking into the starting lineup last fall. He led the Owls in tackles for loss (8.5), sacks (four) and forced fumbles (three) during the 2020 season, claiming sec- ond-team All-American Athletic Confer- ence honors. The Nittany Lions were glad to welcome the veteran, known as A.K. to coaches and teammates, to a youthful defensive end corps. But as coordinator Brent Pry noted, there's always a bit of skepticism when someone comes in from elsewhere in the Football Bowl Subdivision. "Sometimes when you step outside your program and sign a guy who's a transfer, you just wonder: Why didn't it work out? Why is he leaving? All those things," Pry said. But Ebiketie quickly dampened any concerns. "A.K. is very athletic, has great takeoff, great rush abil- ity. He's got a lot of qualities," Pry contin- ued. "He's not as long as some of the guys we've had, but he's got a lot of those same qualities. He's got good athleticism, he can bend. He's got some things that re- mind me of Shaka a little bit, some things that remind me of some guys we've had. impactful performance on the field. Describing himself as "a pretty physical presence" coming off the ball, he listed his strike and run-game performances as strengths, adding that he has the ability to apply his skill set to the pass- ing game as well. Said Tarburton, "I think I'll be able to bring a lot of power, some speed. I'm going to be a tough player, bottom line. That's what you're going to get out of me. "My goal is obviously to help the team in any way I possibly can, whether it be as a starter or wherever. The competi- tion has been great. … Wherever I fit, I fit, and wherever on that depth [chart] I fall, I fall. My goal is just to be the best I can be for my teammates, for my coaches, and to help this team be suc- cessful." Head coach James Franklin said that Tarburton is "in a po- sition to have a big year" for the Nittany Lions. He said the 6- foot-3, 253-pounder excelled during winter workouts and was equally impressive in spring practice. "I'm a big Nick Tar- burton fan for a lot of different rea- sons," Franklin said. "The kid has faced a decent amount of adversity. He has not been healthy consistently since he's been here. He's had an unbelievable off-season for us right now, not only from a health perspective but a physical perspective and from a leadership per- spective as well. We're expecting him to have a significant role on our defense and our team. This spring ball [has been] really important for him, but he's had a tremendous off-season and we're excited about him." ■ QUICK HANDS Tarburton takes part in a drill prior to one of Penn State's open practices in April. Photo by Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics