The Mountain Valley Conference can claim at least one Division-1 FBS prospect among its 2013 class.
Sebastian Joseph, a 6’4, 270-pound defensive lineman for defending MVC champion Stroudsburg High School, issued a verbal declaration to Rutgers Saturday, according to national recruiting services Scout.com and Rivals.com.
Joseph becomes the second Keystone State athlete to declare to continue his career with Rutgers in the last few days, joining Archbishop Wood offensive lineman Nick Arcidiacono.
The Mountie senior-to-be held a handful of offers in addition to the Scarlet Knights, including Akron, Connecticut, Maryland and Temple. He becomes the first MVC athlete to declare to one of the six BCS power conferences since East Stroudsburg South’s standout defensive back Kyshoen Jarrett.
Joseph was a key piece of Stroudsburg’s defensive line last season, amassing 25 tackles (21 solo), tying for the team lead in sacks, with six, and deflected a trio of passes while averaging 4.2 tackles per game. He was part of a defensive unit which allowed an average of 13.4 points per game, limiting eight of 12 opponents to 13 points or less, with one shutout, which came in the team’s Thanksgiving Day game against East Stroudsburg South.
Stroudsburg finished 9-3 overall, reaching the District 2/4/11 AAAA subregional quarterfinals opposite Parkland.
