2022 • REDSHIRT SENIOR SEASON
Awards: Collected Academic All-Big Ten honors...Voted All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches.
Season: Has started 12 games at defensive end...Has 18 tackles (10 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a recovery.
at Auburn (9/17): Recorded two solo stops. Central Michigan (9/24): Made two tackles, including one tackle for loss. Northwestern (10/1): Had a hand in two takeaways...Posted a strip sack in the second quarter, his first career forced fumble, which was recovered by Curtis Jacobs...Also recovered a fumble in the second quarter. at Michigan (10/15): Collected two tackles. Minnesota (10/22): Assisted on one tackle...Added a quarterback hurry. Ohio State (10/29): Picked up a solo stop. at Indiana (11/5): Made three solo tackles, including two for loss, and a sack. Maryland (11/12): Assisted on one tackle. at Rutgers (11/19): Assisted on four tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Michigan State (11/26): Posted one solo tackle...Added a career high two pass breakups.
2021 • REDSHIRT JUNIOR SEASON
Awards: Earned the team's Tim Shaw Thrive Award.
Season: Made 13 appearances and eight starts...Posted 30 tackles (13 solo), four tackles for loss, one sack, a fumble recovery, one quarterback hurry and two pass breakups...Was one of 13 Nittany Lions to make their first career start...Graduated in the fall with a degree in labor and human resources.
at Wisconsin (9/4): Tallied two solo tackles...Recovered a fumble in the second quarter, his first career recovery, to halt a Wisconsin drive deep in Penn State territory...Recorded a pass breakup. Ball State (9/11): Recorded two tackles. Auburn (9/18): Assisted on a tackle. Villanova (9/25): Made a solo stop. Indiana (10/2): Batted down a pass in the first quarter. at Iowa (10/9): Made two solo stops...Added a QB hurry. Illinois (10/23): Recorded two tackles. at Ohio State (10/30): Assisted on three tackles. at Maryland (11/6): Had a solo tackle. Michigan (11/13): Assisted on a tackle. at Michigan State (11/27): Had four tackles, including a tackle for loss. vs. Arkansas (1/1): Tallied eight tackles (3 solo)...Recorded first career sack...Made a career-high two tackles for loss, totaling 14 yards lost.
2020 • REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE SEASON
Season: Appeared in seven games on defense and special teams.
Iowa (11/21): Made first career tackle in the fourth quarter...Added a QB hurry. at Michigan (11/28): Recorded one solo stop.
2019 • REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON
Did not see any game action...Named the coaching staff's Developmental Squad Defensive Player of the Week against Ohio State (11/23).
2018 • TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON
Season: Redshirt season...Appeared in two games...One of 16 true freshmen to make their collegiate debut...One of 40 players to make their first Penn State appearance... Earned coaching staff’s Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week award following Indiana (10/20) and Wisconsin (11/10).
Appalachian State (9/1): Made college debut, seeing time on defense and special teams. at Pittsburgh (9/8): Earned playing time on defense and special teams.
HIGH SCHOOL
Three-time letterman for head coach Jeff Hollenbach at Pennridge High School...Was a team captain in 2017...Was a finalist for the 2017 Mr. PA Football Class 4A-6A Award...Garnered a first-team spot on USA Today’s All-USA Pennsylvania Football Team as a senior...Selected to Pennsylvania Football Writers All-State Class 6A first team as a junior and a senior...Named Pennsylvania Football News (PFN) Class 6A Defensive Player of the Year in 2017...Collected PFN All-Class 6A first-team honors in junior and senior seasons...Garnered 2017 Mini Maxwell Award honors from the Maxwell Football Club...Named All-Southeastern PA by Philadelphia Inquirer three times...Selected All-Intelligencer first team three times (2015, 2016, 2017)...Was a two-time All-Suburban One Continental Conference first-team honoree...Named team MVP twice...Recorded 98 tackles, 19.0 TFL, 7.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception as a senior...Registered 653 all-purpose yards with six touchdowns in 2017...Had 96 tackles and 6.0 sacks as a junior...Collected a school-record 100 tackles and 4.0 sacks as a sophomore...Tabbed a four-star prospect by all three major recruiting outlets – 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals...Ranked as the No. 6 player in Pennsylvania, No. 11 inside linebacker and No. 212 overall prospect by 247Sports...Ranked as the No. 13 inside linebacker, No. 12 player in Pennsylvania and No. 49 in the region by ESPN...Ranked the No. 214 overall prospect, No. 10 inside linebacker and No. 6 player in Pennsylvania by Rivals...Lettered in basketball once...Was selected to the honor roll.
PERSONAL
Full name is Nicholas Earl Tarburton...Son of Ami and Rick Tarburton...Has two brothers, Zack and Jake...Mother, Ami, and Father, Rick, both played basketball at Pitt-Bradford...Volunteered at Pennridge FISH, which is a local food bank...Hobbies include hunting and fishing...Earned degree in labor and human resources and is working on a master's in organizational development.