Tag: Nick Tarburton

5 players who can improve their stock at Penn State’s Pro Day

Here are 5 players that can improve their stock by good performances at Penn State’s Pro Day.

Penn State is hosting their Pro Day on March 24th, inviting scouts from NFL teams to watch former Nittany Lions go through drills.

13 players are getting the opportunity to showcase their skills and meet with personnel to improve their draft stock. There are the names like [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] who have solidified themselves as picks, but there are also fringe players hoping to hear their names called in the late rounds.

The list of participants on the offensive side of the ball include, quarterback [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Juice Scruggs[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag], wide receivers [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] and [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag].

The defensive players participating are, defensive tackle [autotag]PJ Mustipher[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Nick Tarburton[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Jonathan Sutherland[/autotag], cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and safety Ji’Ayir Brown.

Three specialists will also showcase their skills. Long snapper [autotag]Chris Stoll[/autotag], punter [autotag]Barney Amor[/autotag] and kicker [autotag]Jake Pinegar[/autotag] will be going through drills and meeting NFL teams.

Here are five players that can improve their draft stock by performing well at the Pro Day.

Where does Penn State rank in the Big Ten for returning production?

Penn State has a lot of production to make up for in 2023.

Forgotten in the excitement of the recruiting and transfer portal period are the active players returning to school to continue playing college football.

ESPN recently put out their article on the percentage of production returning to each program across the country.

Penn State clocked in at 56th in the nation with 65 percent of their previous season’s production returning.

The offensive side of the ball will have fresh faces becoming impact players. 55 percent of their offense is returning, ranking 102nd nationally.

This is not too surprising when factoring in the losses of quarterback [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag], and receivers [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag].

The defense ranks 24th in the country with 75 percent of their production returning.

Considering the losses of cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag], safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] and linement [autotag]PJ Mustipher[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Tarburton[/autotag], this is great news for the 2023-24 season.

So, where does Penn State rank amongst the other Big Ten schools?

  • 5. Michigan (81%)
  • 23. Rutgers (73%)
  • 27. Wisconsin (72%)
  • 39. Nebraska (69%)
  • 41. Indiana (69%)
  • 45. Michigan State (68%)
  • 48. Ohio State (67%)
  • 56. Penn State (65%)
  • 57. Purdue (65%)
  • 65. Maryland (64%)
  • 71. Illinois (63%)
  • 87. Minnesota (58%)
  • 94. Iowa (57%)
  • 96. Northwestern (56%)

Offensive Rankings

  • 4. Michigan (84%)
  • 11. Michigan State (80%)
  • 30. Wisconsin (75%)
  • 37. Rutgers (72%)
  • 45. Nebraska (72%)
  • 49. Purdue (71%)
  • 63. Indiana (65%)
  • 68. Maryland (64%)
  • 71. Illinois (64%)
  • 72. Iowa (64%)
  • 91. Minnesota (59%)
  • 97. Ohio State (57%)
  • 102. Penn State (55%)
  • 115. Northwestern (46%)

Defensive Rankings

  • 16. Michigan (78%)
  • 20. Ohio State (77%)
  • 24. Penn State (75%)
  • 31. Rutgers (72%)
  • 34. Indiana (72%)
  • 48. Wisconsin (68%)
  • 51. Nebraska (66%)
  • 52. Northwestern (66%)
  • 66. Maryland (63%)
  • 70. Illinois (62%)
  • 76. Purdue (59%)
  • 78. Minnesota (57%)
  • 83. Michigan State (56%)
  • 102. Iowa (49%)

Based on returning production, Penn State’s offense will be the weaker side of the ball.

There will be a new face at quarterback for the first time in four seasons after the graduation of Clifford. Expected starting quarterback, [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], was a 5-star recruit coming into his freshman year.

Allar appeared in 10 games last season completing 35 passes for 344 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

He’ll be joined in the backfield by returning sophomore running backs, [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag], who combined for 1,928 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns.

If Allar can adjust to the college game and live up to his 5-star high school grade, Penn State’s offense will be in good hands this upcoming season.

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Nick Tarburton will play in Rose Bowl before jumping to NFL

Penn State defensive starter confirms status for Rose Bowl and 2023

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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Penn State snapshot profile: No. 46 Nick Taburton

Snapshot profile: Nick Tarburton could be in for an impressive year with the Nittany Lions.

Going into the 2022 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Next up is defensive and [autotag]Nick Tarburton[/autotag]. Penn State‘s biggest losses upfront are [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] and [autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag].
Those are some fairly big shoes to fill, but it is certainly doable.
 Tarburton could be in for an impressive year with the Nittany Lions.

Penn State announces spring football award winners

Ji’Ayir Brown and Olu Fashanu are among Penn State’s spring football ward winners

After one half of spring football action in Beaver Stadium, Penn State took some time during halftime to honor their spring football award winners. While these award winners may or may not ultimately have the greatest impact on the team’s success in the 2022 football season, the awards show who some of the team’s most respected leaders continue to be after going through the spring football practices.

One of the players honored by Penn State at halftime was safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag], who followed up. stellar fall season as the team’s interceptions leader by performing well as a fixture in the defensive secondary.

On offense, it was a rising offensive lineman who was honored for his commitment to the success of the team this spring. Offensive lineman [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] was named the recipient of the team’s Red Worrell award.

Here are this year’s Penn State spring football award winners.

  • Red Worrell (offense): Olu Fashanu
  • Jim O’Hora Award (defense): Ji’Ayir Brown
  • Coaches Special Teams: [autotag]Barney Amore[/autotag]
  • Frank Patrick Total Commitment: [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Tarburton[/autotag]

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PJ Mustipher finding other ways to lead while continuing rehab

New Penn State defensive cooridnator Manny Diaz is among those impressed with the leadership of rehabbing PJ Mustipher this spring.

Penn State’s defensive line has been a fairly consistent unit over the years, and one where the ability to create playmakers has been demonstrated routinely. A year removed from sending [autotag]Odafe Oweh[/autotag] off to the first round of the NFL draft, the eyes are on [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] to see if he can sneak into the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. Meanwhile, in State College, [autotag]PJ Mustipher[/autotag] is coming back for one more season with Penn State with the hopes of becoming another early-round draft pick. But before that, he needs to continue rehabbing from a knee injury that has placed him on the sidelines this spring.

Despite being inactive on the practice field, Mustipher has been providing the kind of leadership that he will be relied on in his sixth season of eligibility. And it did not take long for Mustipher to show new defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] why he will be a valuable asset to the defensive line.

“[Mustipher] is not even practicing but, man, you feel his presence every day,” Diaz said to reporters, according to Lions 247. “And he makes sure that he’s on the defensive lineman. He’s on the defense in general.”

Mustipher has been helping to keep his teammates fired up and driving to improve this spring. Among those benefitting from Mustipher’s leadership and encouragement has been newcomer Zane Durant, who has been raising eyebrows this spring after enrolling early with other members of the Class of 2022.

The defensive line looks to be one of the most exciting position groups for Penn State in 2022, and the eventual return of a healthy Mustipher will be a key part of that equation. The early opportunity for Durant to get involved will be helpful, as will the eventual arrivals of [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] (five-star addition in the Class of 2022) and Maryland transfer [autotag]Demeioun Robinson[/autotag].

Despite not having any of those three players in the Blue-White Game, the entire defensive line unit will be worth watching in the Penn State spring game. The unit did lose promising Zuriah Fisher for the 2022 season due to a spring injury recently, but eyes will be on [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] (who is coming off his own injury from last season) and [autotag]Nick Tarburton[/autotag]. The Blue-White Game should also be a good opportunity for other players to get some good playing time, including [autotag]Smith Vilbert[/autotag], [autotag]Rodney McGraw[/autotag], and [autotag]Amin Vanover[/autotag].

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Five big questions for the Penn State defense

5 big questions for Penn State’s defense this spring.

Penn State’s defense was a strength in 2021 but faces some big questions this spring ahead of the 2022 season. With a number of notable departures to the NFL and a new defensive coordinator, this spring has plenty to be watching in Happy Valley on the defensive side of the football.

Penn State’s biggest change this season is the addition of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. The former Miami head coach comes to State College to replace Brent Pry, who has left the program to become the head coach at Virginia Tech. Diaz brings a solid reputation as a defensive coordinator and Penn State appears to have found a terrific replacement for Pry. But Diaz will have some work to do in shaping the defense with a number of key starting jobs up for grabs this spring.

Penn State is set to open spring football practices on March 21, with the annual Blue-White Game currently scheduled for Saturday, April 23.

Here are five questions I have for Penn State’s offense that may be addressed this spring (we addressed the questions for the offense last week).

Who stood out at Penn State’s first winter football workout?

Penn State coaches named their standout players from the first day of winter workouts.

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It was just over a month ago that the final game of Penn State’s 2021 season was played, and spring football is still a little more than a month away. But winter workouts are underway in Happy Valley as the Nittany Lions begin preparing for what they hope will be a big rebound season, and some new faces are starting to get to the grind with their new teammates.

Winter workouts officially got underway bright and early Tuesday morning and assistant coaches made sure to spread some encouraging news about who showed up to compete in the practice sessions.

Both coordinators took to their Twitter accounts to share who their unit’s best player was. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich named starting quarterback and team captain Sean Clifford as the offensive competitor of the day. Clifford announced his return for a rare sixth year of eligibility prior to Penn State’s appearance in the Outback Bowl. It will be the first offseason in which Clifford has had the same offensive coordinator to work with leading into a new season, and Clifford would like to make up for a few down moments in 2021 in his final year of eligibility.

Penn State’s new defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, also went with a team captain for his defensive competitor of the day, with Jonathan Sutherland getting the props of the day from the new defensive playcaller. Sutherland has been a standout on special teams during his time at Penn State, with some defense mixed in. But Sutherland is expected to be a top candidate to take on a larger role in the defense in 2022.

Other notable players from Penn State’s first winter workout included cornerback Kalen King, defensive end Nick Tarburton, cornerback Ji’Ayir Brown, running back Keyvone Lee, wide receiver Jaden Dottin, tight end Tyler Warren, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, and punter Barney Amor.

These winter workouts are the first that have been opened to early enrollees in Penn State’s Class of 2022, so we will be keeping an eye out for possible shoutouts from the coaching staff for any of the new faces in the crowd. Penn State will eventually be adding to its roster with other recruits in the Class of 2022 that have not enrolled early and any possible additions from the transfer portal, including recent commit from Cornell, Hunter Nourzad.

Penn State’s spring game, the Blue-White Game, is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 23 in Beaver Stadium.

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Who will play linebacker for Penn State in the Outback Bowl vs Arkansas?

Here are a few options on how Penn State could plug the starting linebacker holes vs. Arkansas in the Outback Bowl

Penn State’s nickname of Linebacker-U will be put to the test in the Outback Bowl after its top two linebackers have opted out of the bowl season to begin preparing for the 2022 NFL draft cycle. Days after Brandon Smith announced his decision to pass on the bowl game and declare for the NFL draft, Ellis Brooks has joined him in making the transition to the pros. And with both players choosing to not play in the Outback Bowl, Penn State is now in need of plugging two starting linebacker holes without a ton of experience or roster flexibility to work with.

Penn State has fielded its defense with three linebackers with Smith playing the WILL, Brooks lining up in the middle and Curtis Jacobs manning the SAM linebacker position. Finding a replacement for Smith appeared to be pretty straightforward before the news of Brooks opting out broke because Charlie Katshir could just be moved up a spot on the depth chart to fill the gap for the bowl game. And that may end up still being the solution Penn State goes with.

But what happens in the middle? This is where things can get a little dicey. Jesse Luketa has been moved around the defense this season and could be the best option to fill in at the vacant linebacker spot, although he has been having success at defensive end this season, and James Franklin and defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter may want to keep Luketa on the edge if they can. But if Luketa is playing on the line of scrimmage, then Penn State doesn’t have a lot of experienced options remaining at its disposal.

Kobe King would be making a huge leap up the depth chart to be a starter in the bowl game against Arkansas, as would Tyler Elsdon or Jamari Buddin. Jonathan Sutherland could be used to fill in at the position, or he could move to the SAM position and Jacobs slide over to cover the middle of the defense.

Or Luketa could be used primarily as a linebacker and Nick Tarburton could be used more on the edge against the Razorbacks. Of course, this could all change if we learn that anyone on Penn State’s defensive line will follow Smith and Brooks in their decisions to opt out to focus on the NFL. The name to watch here would be Arnold Ebiketie, who is coming off an incredible season after transferring from Temple that has seen him continue to improve his own draft stock along the way.

No matter how Penn State shakes it, replacing its top two tacklers for the bowl game with 181 combined tackles between Brooks and Smith is not easy to do. If Luketa is not an option, Penn State is looking to fill the two spots with players that may have a combined total of 23 tackles this season between the four possibilities mentioned (Katshir, Elsdon, Buddin, and King).

On the other side of the football, Penn State head coach James Franklin has not commented on the status of wide receiver Jahan Dotson, Penn State’s top pro prospect on the board for the 2022 NFL draft if he declares now. Penn State also has some other players to keep an eye on with the defense in safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields. Both are heading off to the next level after returning to Penn State in 2021, but whether or not they play in the final game of their college careers remains to be confirmed.

Penn State faces Arkansas in the Outback Bowl on Saturday, January 1, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. We’ll see who is left to take the field for either team.

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Penn State defense delivers vs. Wisconsin and sets tone for 2021

Penn State’s defense was challenged all game long, and they answered the call just about every single darn time against the Badgers.

Penn State’s defense turned in one of the gutsiest performances they have in a number of years. And it needed it.

Penn State opened the season in one of the toughest spots to start a season, on the road against Wisconsin with fans fired up to be back in the stands and jumping around in Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin’s defense has been one of the best defenses in the Big Ten in recent years, but Penn State’s defense was the one making the biggest plays in the season-opening 16-10 victory.

Penn State forced three turnovers, including a game-sealing interception by Ji’Ayir Brown in the closing moments. For a defense that gave up 365 yards and 29 first downs, it was all about bending and not breaking. Penn State’s defense bent, but they absolutely would not break.

Jaquan Brisker, Penn State’s All-America-caliber safety, fought through discomfort and injury concerns all game long, coming back on the field all four times he required some degree of medical attention either on the field or on the sideline, or both, And Brisker made some terrific plays in the fourth quarter, including a big pass breakup on a first down to setup a third and long that helped draw a punt by the Badgers.

Defensive end Arnold Ebekitie left the game at one point and headed to the locker room for additional treatment, but he returned to get right back into the mix in the trenches as well.

Despite being on the football field for over 20 minutes in the first half, Penn State’s defense came up big when it needed it the most. Two Wisconsin red zone trips in the first half netted zero points with a blocked field goal and Nick Tarburton pouncing on a botched handoff exchange by Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz.

For a game that was absolutely stellar by the defense, it was the timing of the lone Wisconsin touchdown drive that felt like a blow. Penn State’s defense forced a three-and-out on the first series of the second half and Jahan Dotson gave Penn State a 7-0 lead with a 49-yard reception from Sean Clifford on a busted play by the Badgers defense. But Wisconsin’s offense returned the favor with a 10-play drive spanning 75 yards for a game-tying score.

In the grand scheme of things, the timing of the touchdown drive doesn’t really matter. But having a shutdown defensive series netting zero points would have been good to see in that particular spot.

Penn state’s defense was on the field for nearly 43 minutes (42:51, officially). This isn’t a service academy we’re talking about. It was Wisconsin. Allowing just 10 points and coming up with as many red zone stops as they did gets this season starting on the right foot.

Now, a path to a 4-0 September lays in Happy Valley with the next three games at home, including a primetime showdown with Auburn in Week 3. This was one Penn State needed to set the right tone. That tone was set by the defense.

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