Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
Joseph bringing '100 percent effort' to PSU T here's a certain kind of athlete who's easy to love when he's on your team but who inspires the opposite reaction when he's playing for someone else. In Daniel Joseph, Penn State may have signed one of those athletes in its Class of 2016. A 6-foot-3, 255-pound defensive end from Lake Forest (Ill.) Academy, Joseph started his prep athletic career as a bas- ketball player. It was on the hardwood where he 8rst earned a reputation as some- thing of a provocateur, the kind of player who might dunk the ball two or three times in a game, who might even call to mind a certain professional hoops star who recently helped lead the Golden State Warriors to the NBA Finals. "Our basketball coach compares him to Draymond Green," laughs Robin Bowkett, head football coach at Lake Forest. "Ninety percent [of the time], you love him. He's very emotional. He's going to sell out. He's 100 percent e:ort and competes and just gets a;er it. But the other 10 percent? You want to strangle him. Like, What are you doing? You're killing me. I have no idea what you just did. But you don't want to pull the reins back too much. You want to let him loose." Bowkett's early memories of Joseph 8t that pattern and help explain why the coach encouraged him to try football when he enrolled at Lake Forest as a repeat ninth- grader. Four years, three varsity letters and 17 scholarship o:ers later, Joseph lived up to Bowkett's hopes, even if the journey wasn't without a headache or two. "The kid never played football, and in his very 8rst high school game he's on kick return and [the opponent] is running down on kicko:," Bowkett recalled. "In- stead of blocking him, [Joseph] tackles him. I got it on 8lm and it's hilarious. He didn't [get 9agged] and that's the best part because nobody saw it. We were watching 8lm the next day and that's when we saw it. Did he just tackle him? One of those deals. Unreal. Right away you could see the athleticism." Joseph played multiple positions during his career, including defensive end, de- fensive tackle, linebacker and tight end. He even punted the ball once in a while. Bowkett refers to him as a "defensive lineman" by trade. He is expected to start his college career at end, but Bowkett pre- dicted that it could turn out to be a tem- porary assignment. "It wouldn't surprise me down the road if he ends up being more of a three-tech, being like 270 pounds and being a monster," he said. Joseph was unable to be reached for an interview – he was unreachable even to Bowkett a;er returning to Caledon, On- tario, for the summer – but he arrived at Penn State June 25 in time for the univer- sity's second summer session. Although the comparisons to Green, who was suspended from Game 5 of the 8nals, might raise some eyebrows, Bowkett said Joseph's energy will endear him to his new teammates. "It's what makes him special, you know? He comes from a great background. His parents are great people. You can have a genuine conversation with him. He's a great kid," Bowkett said. "There are some days you want to pummel him, but deep down he's just like a puppy and a genuine kid. I have a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old, and they love Daniel to pieces. That says a lot about who Daniel is." Bowkett also believes that Joseph is a proper 8t for the university. That's due to the degree he earned from Lake Forest, a prestigious limited-enrollment boarding school that boasts an average ACT score of 28. Said Bowkett, "He's going to be ready for the college rigor, for sure." Joseph chose the Lions over Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Rutgers, Stanford, Syracuse and Vanderbilt. He even chose PSU over Iowa, the school at which his brother, defensive tackle Faith Ekatite, is entering his senior season. Bowkett said Daniel "felt really at home at Penn State. He loves the support of the football program. The fan base is great. I think he liked the opportunity to get a great education. He obviously had a great relationship with the coaching sta:. Coach [James] Franklin, Coach [Ricky] Rahne, Coach [Sean Spencer] – all those guys have been awesome through the process. ... I think there are a bunch of factors that went into [his decision]. But I think he landed at a great place and he's going to have a great career." ■ Visit bluewhiteonline.com to see video of Joseph in action. | Penn State Athletics THE JOSEPH FILE STATS Finished his senior season with 72 tackles, including two sacks and 25 tackles for loss... Intercepted two passes... Caught 10 TD passes as a tight end... Caught 26 passes for 498 yards and eight TDs as a junior HONORS Named a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 13 overall prospect in Illinois... Chosen to play in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl... Received All-State honors from the Chicago Tribune and News-Gazette... Was the Catholic Red Division Defensive MVP as a senior