Penn State adds four-star DE Joseph Mupoyi to 2023 recruiting class
The early signing period is now just over a week away and Penn State has still has a few scholarships remaining for its Class of 2023. One of those has now been filled, as St. Thomas More prospect Joseph Mupoyi announced Monday that he’ll join the Nittany Lions. It comes following an official visit to State College this past weekend.
A four-star prospect according to On3, Mupoyi has an interesting story. A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mupoyi came to the United States to pursue a basketball scholarship a few years ago. Landing at Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C., he played basketball for one year before grabbing the attention of head football coach Robert Harris Jr. and his staff.
Mupoyi decided to give football a shot in 2021 and it proved to be a smart decision. Playing alongside five-star Nykoles Harbor, he grabbed the attention of schools all over the country, ultimately earning multiple Power Five offers.
Due to his age, Mupoyi was forced to make the move to St. Thomas More in Connecticut for his senior year. Schools like Auburn, Louisville, Ole Miss and Virginia Tech all heavily pursued him this fall, but Penn State emerged as the team to beat a few months ago.
Notes: Buzz coming out of PSU’s official visit weekend
“I feel very comfortable with them and my mom likes Penn State a lot, too, so of course, it’s a good relationship,” Mupoyi said following his visit for the White Out game in October. “I like what they do there, too. When I was at the game, coach told me to watch their defense, so I watched No. 20 [Adisa Isaac] a lot and No. 33 [Dani Dennis-Sutton]. They’re very good players and a great defense.”
Mupoyi’s interest in Penn State really became clear in July, as he and his mother took an unofficial visit to see the school right before the season started. With his mother still residing in Washington, D.C., Penn State’s proximity to her, as well as the education the school provides, played a major role in his decision.
Overall, Mupoyi took four visits to Penn State. His first was for last season’s White Out win over Auburn.
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“I just remember talking to their coaches. They were so nice,” Mupoyi said, referring to this year’s game against Minnesota. “The White Out was so great. I’m not the type of person that gets too excited, but I loved it. Everyone was screaming and into it. They were showing me love, too. That was the first time I had [fans] calling my name, telling me that they want me to come there. I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’”
Related: McDonogh DE Mason Robinson recaps Penn State official visit and what’s next
Mupoyi still has to finish classes at St. Thomas More in the spring, so he won’t enroll until next summer. At 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, his athleticism off the edge is what intrigues the staff the most. With just two years of experience, he has plenty to learn in the year’s ahead, but as his former coach said, sometimes inexperience is a good thing.
“He’s just an all-around amazing athlete,” said former NFL wide receiver Josh Morgan, who coached Mupoyi at Archbishop Carroll. “Whatever school gets him is getting a steal. He’s eager to learn, physically gifted, athletically gifted and he doesn’t have any bad habits because he’s just learning. When he gets to college he won’t have to unlearn any bad habits he’s picked up anywhere else.”
Although Mupoyi holds a four-star rating by On3, he’s considered a three-star in the On3 Consensus rankings, which equally weigh On3, Rivals, 247 and ESPN. That ranking puts him at No. 515 nationally, No. 44 at his position and No. 4 overall in Connecticut.
Penn State’s Class of 2023 sits at No. 14 overall nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference in the On3 Consensus Team Rankings.
