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Jeff Steeb, a 6'3" 215 pound linebacker from Holy Spirit in southern New Jersey, signed a National Letter of Intent with the Villanova Wildcats football program today, the school announced. Steeb hails from Mullica Township and follows a long line of Cape-Atlantic standouts who have gone on to play at Villanova, including Matt Szczur and current junior safety Joe Sarnese (also a Holy Spirit alum)..
He committed to Villanova in mid-November, the seventh verbal commitment of the 2014 class. He was rated the number-two high school linebacker in New Jersey by NJ.com prior to the 2013 season, and is known as a hard-hitter who sheds blockers to find the ball-carrier at the line of scrimmage.
Landing a scholarship at linebacker may be a surprise to some who knew him when he was younger. He was a safety during his first two seasons in high school, before moving to linebacker as a junior. He didn't miss a beat with the move, becoming one of the most feared linebackers in New Jersey's Cape Atlantic League.
Ahead of him on the Main Line are a lot of talented options at linebacker, including:
| Class | Name | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | Don Cherry | 6'1" | 230 lbs. |
| (RS) Sophomore | Austin Calitro | 6' | 240 lbs. |
| (RS) Junior | Dillon Lucas | 6' |
230 lbs. |
| Junior | Corey Majors | 6' |
235 lbs. |
| Senior | Joey Harmon | 6' |
235 lbs. |
| (RS) Sophomore | TJ White | 6'1" |
225 lbs. |
Linebacker is a position with a lot of talent for Villanova, especially with the expected return of Dillon Lucas, who redshirted 2013 to get healthy after a series of injuries. Joey Harmon and Don Cherry also had breakout performances in the Fall and Corey Majors remains a player with a high ceiling. Even so, there remains a significant number of opportunities to get into the rotation, and after a year as an understudy, Steeb could play his way into a major role on defense.
Quotable
"I toured the campus and it's just beautiful," Steeb told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I like that it's a good academic school and I like the football program. I like the way the coaches treat you." via Philly.com.
