National Signing Day 2016: Welcome to Penn State, Daniel Joseph

Welcome to Black Shoe Diaries' coverage of National Signing Day 2016. Our goal is to make sure that you know everything you need to know about every member of Penn State's 2016 recruiting class, including what fans should expect from them, some highlight tape and more. We truly appreciate you taking the time to follow along with our coverage of all things Penn State recruiting-related over the past year, and we can't wait to continue to ramp up our coverage for 2017. So whether you've been reading the site for years, or a first-time reader who just stumbled upon Black Shoe Diaries, we hope you stick around.

To read up on all of the other members of the 2016 recruiting class, simply head back to the main draft board, where recruits will be added as their official letters of intent roll in.

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If we are being honest with ourselves, surprise verbal commitments are the best verbal commitments. Daniel Joseph's pledge to Penn State came at the end of June, and suffice to say, out of the blue. He had just visited Happy Valley, but as those 247 Crystal Ball predictions show below, no one considered the Lions a serious player. Instead, James Franklin, Sean Spencer, and Ricky Rahne made quite the impression, and a little over a week later, Daniel was a Nittany Lion.

The staff was able to hold off a late charge from Jim Harbaugh and Michigan leading up to signing day, and Penn State can get to work with one of the best defensive end prospects in the land.

JUST IN: the latest signee of the 2016 class is @_DanielJoseph_! Welcome to the #PennState family! #PSUSigningDay pic.twitter.com/uO26sNg8fK

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) February 3, 2016

Vitals

Position	Strong-side defensive end
High School	Lake Forest Academy (Il.)
Height/Weight	6'3"/240 lbs.
247Composite Rank	(0.9057)
Positional Rank	#260 player overall, #3 strong-side defensive end, #3 player in Illinois
Commitment Date	June 30, 2015

Highlight Tape

Scouting Report

I certainly hope you clicked those highlights before you got down to this part. Most high school highlight tapes are impressive, but Daniel's is, well, mind blowing. There is something oddly entertaining about watching athletes that are just light years better than their competition, and that describe's Joseph perfect. He is a fantastic athlete, as evidenced by playing a little bit of almost every spot on the field.

His future, however, appears to be on the defensive line, and at least to start, defensive end. There will be a learning curve as he adjusts to opposition more his talent level, but it is that talent that could make him a great lineman for Penn State.

Outlook

This flies in the face of the learning curve mentioned above, but I believe Daniel is just too good to keep off the field, somewhere. I doubt he plays much, if at all early, but sooner or later, he's going to be too good to keep off of the field.

Everything Else

• Daniel Joseph Commits to Penn State
• Daniel Joseph's Hudl
• Daniel Joseph's 247 Profile