2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 56 Joseph Mupoyi
Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.
Next up is a look at one of the new faces in the program, freshman defensive end Joseph Mupoyi. Mupoyi joins the program as a member of the Class of 2023 as a four-star commitment. Mupoyi should be a name to watch develop on the defensive line at a position Penn State has done well in developing over the years. Here is a snapshot of one of the newest forces on the edge of the line this fall.
Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Kinshasa, DR of the Congo
Height: 6-5
Weight: 253
247Sports Composite Ranking
Class of 2023
Class in 2023: Freshman
Joseph Mupoyi committed to Penn State over offers from Auburn, Maryland, Michigan, and Miami. Penn State was one of the early contenders in his recruiting process with an early unofficial visit back in September 2021. A formal scholarship offer came a few months later in December of 2021, after offers from Miami and Ole Miss came in and before more Big Ten offers from Rutgers and Michigan were received.
Mupoyi also made a visit to Auburn in June 2022, with an offer extended on his visit to the Auburn campus. Mupoyi later made a visit to Miami that same summer. Mupoyi then made an official visit to Penn State in December 2022 and committed to the program, officially, a few days later. He then signed in the early signing period and enrolled on campus following the spring semester.
Career Stats
Joseph Mupoyi has yet to appear in a game and he missed out on the spring practice schedule with the spring game due to enrolling after the conclusion of spring practices. But Mupoyiis coming off a senior season with 54 tackles, 14 sacks, and 12 tackles for a loss for St. Thomas More in Connecticut.
Depth Chart Overview
Penn State will use Joseph Mupoyi as an edge rusher, but his role will likely be very limited at best in 2023. That is because the Nittany Lions appear to be in good shape on the edges of the defensive line this fall with starters Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson causing havoc off the edge. Robinson is considered a potential first-round draft pick in the 2024 NFL draft and Isaac is fully capable of causing big plays on the opposite side.
Penn State’s depth at defensive end is pretty solid as well with Dani Dennis-Sutton and Amin Vanover among the top reserves, and Zuriah Fisher and Smith Vilbert waiting in the wings.
In addition to Mupoyi, Penn State also added Jameial Lyons and Mason Robinson to the position in the freshman class this fall. Mupoyi will benefit from a little more time to be fully developed to be a big-time playmaker, but he could also be a quick riser once he gets into the swing of things.
