Penn State will be down a couple of players heading off to the NFL when it plays in the Rose Bowl, but defensive end [autotag]Nick Tarburton[/autotag] is not going to be one of the players missing from action. On Saturday, Tarburton announced on social media he will play in the Rose Bowl and then focus on his future in the NFL rather than return to Happy Valley for the 2023 season.
“I can’t wait to go to battle one last time with you all in the Rose Bowl,” Tarburton said in his released statement posted on Instagram on Saturday. “With that being said, I am going to take that next step in my journey [and] chase my dreams in the NFL.”
Tarburton is a redshirt senior, so his decision confirmed she will not be taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility allowed to all student-athletes impacted by the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tarburton will join safety [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] and wide receiver [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] in declaring for the draft before exhausting their NCAA eligibility. Porter opted out of the Rose Bowl and Washington suffered a season-ending injury late in the year.
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Penn State will face Pac-12 champion Utah in the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2023.
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