2021 Football Roster
Sep 27 (Sat)
7 p.m.
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Daniel Joseph
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- High School:
- Lake Forest Academy (Ill.)
2020 SEASON:
• Graduated transfer who was a starter in eight off his 11 games played in 2020.
• Led the Pack and tied for eighth in the ACC with 6.5 sacks for the season.
• Ranked second on the team in tackles for loss with 10.
• Named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week following the win over Liberty - he tallied 1.5 sacks for 10 yards in that contest.
• Tallied two sacks for a loss of nine yards - including a six-yard drop in the season opener when Wake Forest had 3rd-and-15 on its final possession and down three points.
BEFORE NC STATE:
At Penn State
• Saw action in all 12 of the Nittany Lions’ games in 2019, registering two tackles and a sack against Idaho.
• That season, he tied a career-high with four tackles and a nine-yard sack against Pittsburgh.
• Recovered a fumble against Rutgers.
• Saw action in 13 games in 2018 and played in seven contests in 2017.
• Redshirted the 2016 season.
In High School
• A three-time letterman for head coach Robin Bowkett at Lake Forest Academy in Illinois.
• Honors: Selected as captain as a senior. Invited to the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl. Selected to the 2015 News-Gazette All-State special mention team. Named 2015 Chicago Tribune’s All-State special mention. Was the Catholic Red Division Defensive MVP in 2015. Selected as team MVP as a senior.
• Senior Stats: Tallied 72 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 25 tackles for loss and two interceptions as a defensive lineman and had 10 receiving touchdowns as a tight end.
• Junior Stats: Caught 26 pass for 498 yards and eight touchdowns as a tight end.
• Rankings: Rated a four-star prospect by ESPN and 247Sports and a three-star prospect by Rivals and Scout. Ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 player in Illinois, No. 6 regional player and No. 11 defensive end in the country. Rated as the third-ranked player in Illinois and 11th-ranked strong-side defensive end in the country by 247Sports. Ranked as the No. 13 recruit in Illinois by Rivals and the No. 7 defensive end in the Midwest by Scout.
PERSONAL:
• Originally recruited by Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack staff in 2016.
• Played varsity basketball for four years. Brother, Faith Ekakite, played defensive line at Iowa and was the No. 1 pick of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2017 Canadian Football League Draft. Cousin, Ese Mrabure-Ajufo, played for the BC Lions of the CFL in 2015.
• Major: Earned his undergraduate degree from Penn State in labor and employment relations. Enrolled in postgraduate liberal studies.
JOSEPH CAREER STATS (AT NC STATE)
| Year | GP-GS | Ply | Hit | Ast | Tot | TFL | Sk | QH |
| 2020 | 11-8 | 489 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 10-43 | 6.5-33 | 3 |
JOSEPH CAREER STATS (AT PENN STATE)
| Year | GP | Hit | Ast | Tot | TFL-Yds | Sk-Yds | FF/RF | PBU |
| 2017 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 2.5-9 | 1/0 | ||
| 2018 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 1-9 | 1-9 | 0/1 | 1 |
| 2019 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2-6 | 1.5-5 | ||
| Totals | 32 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 5.5-24 | 2.5-14 | 1/1 | 1 |