Blue White Illustrated

T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 6 WHAT HE DID Born in Canada, Joseph didn't play football until his freshman year at St. Marguerite d'Youville Second- ary School in Brampton, Ontario. Following a solid =rst sea- son, it became clear that he had the potential to play at the college level, so he transferred to Lake Forest (Ill.) Academy and immediately earned a spot on the varsity squad. Lake Forest went 12-17 during his three seasons at the school, but it should be noted that the Caxys play in one of Illinois' tough- est divisions. Playing defensive end as a senior, Joseph recorded 71 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions. He also had 22 receptions for more than 400 yards and 10 touchdowns playing tight end. WHAT HE WON Rivals.com gave Joseph a three-star rating. He's ranked No. 27 at strongside defensive end and 13th over- all in Illinois for the Class of 2016. Joseph also earned Defen- sive Player of the Year honors in the Freelance Conference his senior year. WHERE HE VISITED Joseph earned 20 scholarship o?ers dur- ing his junior and senior seasons. Among the top programs that extended o?ers were Duke, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Rutgers and Stanford. Following mul- tiple visits to Michigan and Michigan State during and aAer his junior season, Joseph took his =rst visit to Penn State on June 20. He immediately fell in love with the school and end- ed up committing 10 days later, on June 30. QUOTABLE Joseph: "I really like the direction they're head- ed. The coaches, the players – they all have big goals, and I really thought that I would =t in there." STAFF SAYS Smith: "His highlight tape shows just how good of an athlete he is. He played linebacker, defensive end, punter and tight end in high school, so he is very versatile and athletic. We're excited about his explosiveness coming o? the edge and what he can bring to our line." PHIL'S TAKE Joseph has the potential to grow into a 260- or 270-pound strongside defensive end. He has a superb =rst step and he's an excellent outside pass rusher. Some recruit- ing analysts have speculated that he will end up as a three- technique defensive tackle, but I'm not so sure. A physical player with great athletic skills, he reminds me of former Penn State defensive end Maurice Evans. Joseph will proba- bly be redshirted as a freshman. DANIEL JOSEPH RIVALS ★★★ POS DE HT 6-3 WT 255 HOME Brampton, Ontario SCHOOL Lake Forest (Ill.) Academy WHAT HE DID Jordan sprained his medial collateral liga- ment in the =nal game of the season, but he still =nished the year with 50 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. He also forced a safety and scored a touchdown on of- fense while playing fullback. Gilman =nished its season with a 10-1 record, which was good for =rst place in the MIAA A conference. The Greyhounds do not participate in Mary- land's state playo?s. WHAT HE WON Jordan accepted an invitation to play in the Under Armour All-America Game in January. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year by The Baltimore Sun. For his career, he was a three-time All-Metro selection. Af- ter originally earning four stars from Rivals.com, Jordan came in as a three-star prospect in the =nal rankings. WHERE HE VISITED Jordan visited the majority of the re- gional programs, including Maryland, Rutgers, Virginia, Vir- ginia Tech and West Virginia. He also took an uno@cial visit to Michigan. His only o@cial visit was to Penn State, but Jor- dan took a late uno@cial trip to Maryland aAer it hired new coach D.J. Durkin. QUOTABLE Jordan: "A lot of people say I have a good motor, I get o? the ball well, have quick hands, a quick =rst step, a quick get-o? the ball. I've got good pursuit, people say. I'm just a great guy o? the =eld and then I play with high ener- gy." STAFF SAYS Smith: "He's an Anthony Zettel-type: a little bit undersized for the position but athletic and quick enough to cause some problems in there. We're really looking for his energy to set the tone for this defense, because that's what we want. We want 11 guys >ying to the ball on every snap." PHIL'S TAKE When you look at Jordan's senior highlight tape, it's easy to understand why he was the Sun's Defensive Player of the Year. He's exceptional at using his hands to shed blocks, and he also boasts great re>exes, superb lateral quickness and a terri=c =rst step. During his high school ca- reer, he was able to dominate at the point of attack and get penetration into the opponent's back=eld. Jordan's sack to- tals were remarkable for a three-technique defensive tackle. The Nittany Lions have immediate needs at defensive tackle, but I expect him to redshirt this fall. He will need to add 10 to 15 pounds to become an every-down player. ELLISON JORDAN RIVALS ★★★ POS DT HT 6-0 WT 280 HOME Upper Marlboro, Md. SCHOOL Gilman School Penn State Athletics Rivals.com

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