Oh, Hello: Three-Star LB/DE Nick Tarburton Commits to Penn State

Hometown: Perkasie, PA (Pennridge H.S.)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3.5, 242 pounds

Recruited by: Brent Pry and Sean Spencer

Notable Offers: Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse

Tarburton camped for the Nittany Lions in the summer, but it wasn’t until after the staff saw his junior film that they decided to offer the Pennsylvania athlete on January 29. Tarburton didn’t need much more time to decide that he wanted to be a Nittany Lion, as he made his commitment to Penn State a week and change after being on campus for a mini-Junior Day.

Tarburton is rated as a three-star on Scout and 247, but Rivals recently ranked him as a 5.9 four-star, which means they think he’s a top 150 recruit and a top 5 player in Pennsylvania.

The Nittany Lions offered Tarburton as a middle linebacker-defensive end hybrid, but it’s hard to imagine that a 6-foot-3.5, 240-pound 17-year-old kid isn’t going to grow quite substantially in the next couple years. I think it’s more likely than not that Tarburton finds his home at defensive end.

Regardless of what position he plays, Tarburton is just a really good football player. He has the size, strength, athleticism, and closing speed to be a big problem for the opposing team on the football field.

Welcome to Penn State, Nick!