One of New Jersey’s top remaining uncommitted Class of 2019 prospects has a new home.
Smith Vilbert, a senior defensive end for St. Joe’s (Mont.), announced Friday he will be signing his national letter of intent to play Division I football at Penn State University. Vilbert made the announcement via his personal Twitter account.
Vilbert was a proverbial wrecking ball for the Green Knights during his senior season. In 2018, the 6-7, 251-pounder collected 43 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, had 11 quarterback hurries and notched nine sacks, second only behind Notre Dame commit Howard Cross III.
Watch JSZ’s highlight reel of Vilbert’s senior season:
Vilbert anchored a defensive line that wrecked havoc on passers all season long in one of the country’s toughest high school conferences. St. Joe’s (Mont.) finished at 10-2 this past year and won the Non-Public Group 4 state sectional title. The Green Knights shut-out reigning champions Bergen Catholic, 13-0.
After coming onto the scene in his senior season, Vilbert racked up 19 major D-I offers, including programs like Oregon, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Syracuse and Maryland.
Vilbert joins All-American offensive lineman Caedan Wallce (Hun School, Princeton) and quarterback Taquan Roberson (DePaul Catholic, Wayne) as fellow Class of 2019 Penn State signees.