Penn State defensive end Nick Tarburton declares for NFL Draft, will play in Rose Bowl
Penn State defensive end Nick Tarburton will play in the Rose Bowl but will declare for the 2023 NFL Draft after the postseason matchup with the No. 8 Utes.
“My time here at Penn State has been nothing short of special. Although it has never been easy, Penn State shaped me into the man I am today. There will always be a special place in my heart for happy valley & all that it has to offer.
“To Coach Franklin, Coach Scott & all the other coaches who have helped me throughout my time at Penn State, thank you. Thank you for taking a shot on a small town kid from Perkasie, Pennsylvania. What you all have done for me & my family is something I will always be indebted to. I also want to thank all of the support staff & athletic trainers – you all are truly world class.
“Finally, my brothers. I have formed relationships that will last a lifetime. We have made some pretty awesome memories over the years. Without you all, I wouldn’t be in the position or the person I am today. You guys are everything to me.
“I can’t wait to go to battle one last time with you all in the Rose Bowl.
“With that being said, I am going to take that next step in my journey & chase my dreams in the NFL. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. We are.”
Tarburton has 18 tackles (5.5 for loss) and two sacks so far this season. He will close his career in the Rose Bowl.
Penn State opt outs are limited
Penn State coach James Franklin talked about bowl game opt outs during his media day availability on Friday.
“Again, probably similar answer. This is who we’ve been. In my 12 years as a head coach, I’ve never had an opt-out until last year.
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“Again, I think part of it goes back to the leadership of our captains this year. That was a big part of our conversation before the season started with our captains, what their expectations were, what their standards were, what mine were as well.
“Really the way, in my mind, we’ve billed it at Penn State, there’s really no reason to opt out. We will be flexible with all of our guys. I want our guys to be as successful as they possibly can. I want the bowl experience to be a great experience. We’ll work with our guys.
“There’s really no reason to opt out. That goes back to communication with the players and the parents, things like that.
“I remember all the way back with Saquon in the Fiesta Bowl, I had a conversation with him and his family about that game because he was getting some people advising him to opt out of the game.
“Again, I look at this season more as getting back to who we are. The last two years, specifically last year, to your point, was probably an outlier.”
