Freshman Joseph adjusting to college football
PISCATAWAY — Sebastian Joseph’s idea of a “welcome to college football moment” is how he was received by Rutgers teammates at the start of training camp.
At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, it is one of few signs Joseph, a defensive tackle, is only 18 years old.
Joseph has impressed Rutgers’ coaching staff through a week of training camp, so much so he’s earned meaningful snaps with the secondteam defense. An unofficial count had Joseph with three sacks Saturday during the Scarlet Knights’ first scrimmage.
“There’s honestly nothing easy about it,” Joseph said during the team’s media day. “Whoever thinks it’s easy, it’s not. Nothing about it is easy at all. I understand things faster. I’ll ask and I’ll pick it up. That helped me more this camp.”
Joseph finished with 17 tackles for loss as a high school senior.
One scout who watched him in Stroudsburg speaks freely of Joseph mauling physically inferior linemen on every play. That won’t happen at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Still, Joseph isn’t afraid of revealing the reason behind his hulking frame.
“I lifted a lot more,” Joseph says, smiling, “than a normal high school kid should.”
He’s earned head coach Kyle Flood’s attention in more ways than one.
At one point Saturday, Joseph plowed through the offensive line and into the backfield, where Flood had been keeping tabs.
“Sebastian’s a big kid and he moves fast, and I’m not very athletic so I didn’t even know I could get out of the way,” Flood said. “But I think Sebastian did stand out. I think he’s having a good training camp so far.”
A high school defensive end, Joseph moved at Rutgers to the threetechnique, a position in which he lines up on the outside shoulder of a guard. At 6-foot-4, keeping low leverage has been a process, Joseph admits.
So, too, has using his hands to engage offensive linemen.
“Without a doubt, it’s the use of hands,” defensive line coach Jim Panagos said. “You have to do it with some violence. You have to knock someone off the ball. Defensive line play is about using your hands to create space. We’re continuing to talk about … delivering a blow with bad intentions.”
It’s an unlikely marriage for Joseph.
The Stroudsburg, Pa., native appears more comfortable revealing a toothy grin as he sits with his hands on his knees inside Rutgers’ recruiting lounge. But he might be as suited to improve the Scarlet Knights’ pass rush.
Rutgers recorded only 26 sacks a year ago, its second-lowest output in six years. Other than Jamil Merrell, a converted interior lineman, its defensive tackles managed only three sacks. Those sacks have since graduated. “My goal is to help Rutgers win a conference championship, whatever way I can,” Joseph said. “If it’s sitting on the bench, it’s sitting on the bench. If coaches think I’m ready to play and I play, I’ll help that way.”