Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916653
Tarburton ready to make an impact at Penn State I f Penn State fans are looking for an impact player on defense in the coming years, linebacker Nick Tarburton of Perkasie, Pa., would be a good place to start. Already checking in at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Tarburton has the combination of size and smarts that defensive coordinators dream about. On top of that, he's coming o5 the most complete season of his career, as the four-star prospect totaled 90 tackles and 10 sacks, all while leading Pennridge to an 11-3 record, the school's best showing since 2012. That performance came just a year a6er the Rams went 6-6, their losingest season in about a decade. "There's a lot to like about Nick, on and o5 the 4eld," Pennridge head coach Je5 Hollenbach said. "Nick's leadership has been solid throughout his career, but es- pecially this season. He's been a very in- tense leader on the 4eld, but also, what I've been mainly impressed with is the fact that he's been very positive that en- tire time. He's never been one of those guys who looks down on his teammates for making a mistake. He's always en- couraging, always positive. It really has an impact on the guys around him." Following his junior season, in which he totaled 96 tackles and six sacks, Tarbur- ton was forced to have surgery on his le6 shoulder. It was a tricky injury, and he was worried that it could hinder his growth as a player. Instead, it ended up helping him in unintended ways. "I had surgery on my shoulder last De- cember," Tarburton said. "At the time, I was worried that it was going to slow down my development and my training because I couldn't li6 a whole lot. What I didn't realize is that it was kind of a bless- ing in disguise in some ways, as it allowed me to really start focusing on footwork, agility, hip movement, things like that. That ended up being big for me. That helped me out a lot." It was around that same time that schools began showing serious interest in Tarburton. Maryland was the 4rst to o5er a scholarship, doing so in January 2017. Michigan State and Rutgers soon followed. Penn State had also grabbed Tarbur- ton's attention, and he and his family de- cided in late January to visit for a junior day. He ultimately called that trip "a game-changer." "For the most part, as soon as I got up to Penn State, which was at the end of Jan- uary, I visited with their coaches and earned an o5er," Tarburton said. "From there on out, I basically started to shut down my recruitment. "I saw everything that day. That was my 4rst real taste of everything, and I loved it all right away. I knew right then that it was the school for me." It took Tarburton less than two weeks to make a decision, as he verbally commit- ted to the Nittany Lions on Feb. 9. The Ri- vals250 prospect said that Penn State was a good 4t for several reasons. "Penn State is just home to me," Tarbur- ton said. "First o5, they're only three hours from us, so they have that home- town kind of feel. I love everything about Penn State, from its coaches to its fans and everything in-between. There's nothing that compares to Penn State, in my eyes." Coaches Sean Spencer and Brent Pry, he added, "have an incredible energy about them. They're always positive, always op- timistic. That just 4ts my style." Tarburton will have a chance to work with those coaches before most of his fu- ture teammates, as he's set to enroll at the start of the spring semester next month. He didn't make that decision lightly, but he understood that the positives out- weighed the negatives. "A6er long talks with my family and everything like that, it's going to be tough for me to leave a few months early, but it's the best thing for me," Tarburton said. "I know it's going to help me succeed up there, academically and on the 4eld. Being able to bang out 15 credits before the majority of my teammates get here, plus go through an entire spring practice session, that's only going to help me down the line." ■ | THE TARBURTON FILE STATS Totaled 90 tackles and 10 sacks as a senior... Helped lead Pennridge High to an 11-3 finish, its best record since 2012... Finished with 96 tackles and six sacks as a junior HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 202 overall prospect nationally, No. 10 inside linebacker and No. 7 player in Pennsylvania... Received first-team 6A All-State recognition from the Pennsylvania Sports Writers following his jun- ior season (the 2017 All-State team had not been announced as of this writing) Tim Owen CLICK HERE to see video of Tarburton in action.