Signed: Joseph Darkwa
WHAT HE DID Growing up in Dusseldorf, Germany, Darkwa began playing football in 2015 when he joined the Dusseldorf Panthers’ youth team. He also began working with PPI Recruits, a group of former collegiate players who are now based in Europe. In recent years, PPI Recruits has sent players to Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Temple and Virginia. The organization is operated by former Massachusetts defensive lineman Brandon Collier, who was coached by Sean Spencer in 2007 and ’08.
WHAT HE WON Darkwa helped lead Dusseldorf to back-to-back appearances in the Junior Bowl, which is the championship game for the German Football League Juniors. The Panthers fell to Padderborn in 2017 and ’18, but Darkwa was named MVP following the most recent game. He received a three-star rating from Rivals.com.
WHERE HE VISITED Towson was the first college program to extend an offer to Darkwa, having done so last August. Rutgers then hosted him for an official visit in December, but the Scarlet Knights didn’t offer immediately. Darkwa did eventually get that scholarship, but by then Georgia Tech, Connecticut and Virginia had already offered. He still considered signing with the Knights during the early period but ultimately held off. That proved to be a wise decision, as Cincinnati, Colorado, Indiana, Penn State and UCLA all extended offers when the contact period opened. Darkwa went on to take official visits to UCLA (Jan. 18-20) and Penn State (Jan. 25-27). He committed to the Nittany Lions on Feb. 1.
QUOTABLE Darkwa: “I committed to Penn State because of the culture there. Everyone knows the football is great, but everyone I talked to on my visit wanted to be successful in life. That’s very important to me, because if everyone around you is working hard, it’s contagious.”
PHIL’S TAKE It’s difficult to get a good feel for Darkwa’s ability because of the level of competition he faced in Germany. He’s very athletic for a player who is listed at 6-foot-5, 272 pounds. With his long frame, it looks as though he could handle another 25 to 30 pounds. If he’s capable of doing that, I would expect him to end up playing at the three-technique defensive tackle position. Darkwa is light on his feet and has excellent lateral mobility. He has a good swing move that makes him an effective inside pass rusher, and he uses his hands fairly well to shed blocks. He has a 74-inch wingspan and is able to knock down passes when he doesn’t get to the quarterback. Darkwa is a very raw prospect who will need to add upper-body strength to gain leverage at the point of attack. He will definitely redshirt this fall but may be ready to contribute and add some depth along the defensive line for the 2020 season.