One of New Jersey’s most prolific pass rushers has figured out his next home.

Bergen Catholic defensive end DJ Samuels took to social media last night and announced that he had verbally committed to the University of Maryland.

Samuels, a 6’1″and 240 pound pass rusher, was one of the top remaining uncommitted players in the state heading into the summer after a monster junior season where he broke Brian Cushing’s All-Time Career sacks record at Bergen Catholic.


Watch DJ Samuels’ Junior Year Highlights!


Samuels was named a two-time JSZ All-Zone team selection during his junior season just weeks after he helped lead Bergen Catholic to a perfect 12-0 season and a Non-Public A state championship. He logged 39 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, had a team-high nine sacks, forced three fumbles and even scored two touchdowns on offense. The Crusaders allowed only 7.8 points per game last season.

This news comes in the midst of a huge offseason for Bergen Catholic, in terms of recruiting. Four-star defensive lineman Sydir Mitchell recently announced he had verbally committed to the University of Texas, WR Christian Carti pledged to Columbia and RB Saeed St. Fleur gave a verbal commitment to the University of Delaware.

With Samuels leading the way, the Crusaders should once again field one of the most talented defenses in the state. You can bet he’ll also look to add onto the school’s all-time sack record that he now holds.