Penn State's top-ranked 2018 recruiting class adds in-state LB Nick Tarburton

Penn State’s recruiting class of 2018 is off to a blistering start, and the Nittany Lions’ roll continued Thursday with the pledge of another in-state star.

Nick Tarburton, a three-star linebacker prospect from Pennridge High School, committed to Penn State ahead of scholarship offers from Michigan State, Maryland, Louisville, Rutgers and Pitt, among others. Tarburton made the announcement on Twitter, though the physical text of his commitment was conspicuously missing the words “committing to Penn State.”

To Tarburton’s credit, there was little question which school he was committing to, between the images of him on Penn State’s campus and in a Nittany Lions jersey, as well as his “I’m coming home,” theme, but not specifically saying where a player is committing is still a new twist.

Tarburton is Penn State’s 11th commit in the Class of 2018. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Pennridge star is one of the top 15 inside linebacker prospects in the Class of 2018 nationwide, so he’s a significant pick up in an area where the Nittany Lions could have a need come fall 2018.

That’s still more than a year away, though Tarburton and Penn State can both breathe a bit easier knowing that both have already found what they need in each other.