North Penn brings plenty of offense
Pennridge grad a leading candidate to start at DE for Nittany Lions
No one appreciates the opportunity to fight for a starting position on the Penn State football team more than Nick Tarburton.
He doesn’t mind toiling in the sweltering heat this month, going head-to-head against two of the best offensive tackles in the Big Ten or the bumps and bruises he’s had during preseason camp.
Tarburton is ecstatic after injuries slowed his development after his arrival in 2018.
“I’m feeling amazing, to be honest with you,” he said. “Just being healthy and being able to compete every day is something that I’ll never take for granted again. Just having that ability is amazing.”
A former Pennridge High standout, Tarburton missed a significant amount of time during his first two seasons with what strength and conditioning coach Dwight Galt has called “some lower back and some hip and some other things.”
Now he’s contending for one of the spots at defensive end, left vacant by the graduation of Shaka Toney and the early departure of Odafe Oweh, who were NFL draft picks in May.
Adisa Isaac also was a leading candidate to start before he suffered a season-ending, nonfootball injury before preseason camp.
“When I was a little banged up, it was tough for me to really work on my technique and fundamentals,” Tarburton said. “Now having the time to be able to really work, it’s coming pretty smoothly now. I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot right now.”
Tarburton, a 6-3, 257-pound junior who played in seven games last year, and Temple transfer Arnold Ebiketie, a 6-3, 258-pound senior, are presumed to be the
front-runners to start.
Ebiketie, also known as “AK,” had 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and three forced fumbles last year for the Owls. He was named to the All-American Athletic Conference second team.
“AK is a special player,” Tarburton said. “He’s super twitchy. He has a lot of explosion. Some people might not think so, but he can stop the run. He’s
a terrific pass rusher. He’s a solid player and I’m glad we got him.”
Ebiketie didn’t have to look far for advice when he arrived at Penn State in January. He latched onto Tarburton, who guided him through spring practice.
“He helped me with the playbook and tried to get me up to speed,” Ebiketie said, “He’s done a great job as a leader on the field and off the field. He’s a vocal leader and definitely leads by example.”
Defensive line coach John Scott Jr. said Tarburton
is in the best shape he’s seen since joining the Penn State coaching staff in early 2020.
“Nick looks quicker compared to the spring,” Scott said. “He’s strong. He has a ridiculous grasp of what we’re doing. It’s been fun to see him take the young defensive ends under his wing and drill them on the ins and outs of the position.”
Others expected to be part of the regular rotation at end include Smith Vilbert, Zuriah Fisher and Jesse Luketa, who has been tried at end during preseason
camp after starting eight games at weak-side linebacker last year.
“Jesse is very physical,” Tarburton said. “He’s quick off the edge. He has some impressive moves. He knows the game well. It’s been a smooth transition for him. He’s been doing well and providing some great support.”
The 6-6, 263 pound Vilbert might be the most athletic of all the Penn State defensive ends. He posted the top vertical, triple broad jump and broad jump numbers at his position during winter conditioning,
but he has just one tackle in his career.
“Smith is a very physical presence in the run game,” Tarburton said. “He’s become much more of a football mind than I think he was early on. He understands the game so much better, which makes him play that much quicker.”
They’ve all been squaring off against left tackle Rasheed Walker and right tackle Caedan Wallace during camp.
“The competition against Rasheed and Caedan has been unbelievable,” Tarburton said. “I see them as some of the best tackles in the country. It’s been awesome going against them every day.”
Tarburton appreciates every practice because he never knew if he’d fully regain his health when he missed so much time in 2018-19.
“I was down mentally,” he said. “It was tough on me. But the biggest thing is just that you’ve got to control what you can control. I have a mindset that I’m never going to give up. Things are going to get better.”