Commitment analysis: Joseph Darkwa to Penn State

Defensive lineman Joseph Darkwa slowly started emerging as a legitimate Power Five recruit around the beginning of the past season. The German prospect saw his offer sheet expand pretty rapidly around National Signing Day in December. Rutgers hosted Darkwa on an official visit at the end of November and Penn State and UCLA got official visits from him in January. After his visits, coaches from each school made the trip to Germany to see Darkwa and try to seal the deal. Penn State did the best job and was rewarded with Darkwa’s commitment.

The Nittany Lions really needed more depth on the defensive line and Darkwa is the type of prospect Penn State has had a lot of success developing. He has plenty of natural athletic gifts but is technically and physically raw. The strength and conditioning staff at Penn State will have a field day turning Darkwa into a reliable and dependable presence on the interior of the defensive line.

Rutgers invested a lot of time and effort in recruiting Darkwa. They were the first team to really start pushing for his commitment and had hoped their consistent efforts would pay off. The Scarlet Knights could have really used him on the defensive line. UCLA has the same needs and wanted Darkwa to have an early impact on their defensive front.