After missing freshman season with knee injury, Seton Hill DE Anthony Stribling showing splash play capability

Imagine what Anthony Stribling would have looked like on film if he had two healthy knees.

As Seton Hill defensive coordinator Kevin May watched clips of the Keystone Oaks defensive end’s 2023 season, he was impressed by his explosiveness and athletic ability. Perhaps Stribling was a bit undersized, but May was willing to take a chance on him.

What May, now in his first year as the Griffins’ head coach, didn’t know was that Stribling played the latter part of his senior season on a torn ACL. Stribling didn’t know it either.

The injury kept him out of his freshman season at Seton Hill, but, now healthy, Stribling has shown he could be one of the most impactful defensive players in the PSAC. Over the Griffins’ first three games — Seton Hill is 2-1 after Saturday’s 31-28 come-from-behind win over Bloomsburg — Stribling has 19 tackles, including 6 1/2 for loss (five sacks), two forced fumbles and fumble recovery.

“I feel like I’m getting there,” Stribling said. “I’ve still got some things I have to improve and work on, but I feel really good.”

Stribling said he hurt his knee in Week 8 of his senior season at Keystone Oaks. He left the game for a few plays but then returned to finish.

Over the last couple of weeks, he said his knee could barely bend and severely limited him in practices. Still, he managed to get himself onto the field for the stretch run, including a first-round loss to Mohawk in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs.

The ACL tear finally was discovered that December, and Stribling had surgery in January 2024. But the nine-months-long rehab process all but wiped out his freshman season at Seton Hill. He made a cameo appearance in the Griffins’ season finale against Shepherd.

Stribling, though, remained engaged. He soaked up all he could in meetings and from his veteran teammates. He stepped up his lifting program and put on nearly 30 pounds to get to his current playing weight of around 230.

“I really just tried to get better mentally with just learning everything,” Stribling said, “standing behind older guys and learning from them.”

Said May: “Our worry with him was we do so much on defense that we didn’t know if he’d pick it up right away. But he’s picked it up. … Really, the game just has to slow down for him. He knows what he’s doing, and he knows the playbook but it’s just the little details.”

Even after only two games, May said he can see a difference.

“The sky’s the limit for this kid,” the coach said. “That (the Sept. 6 win over West Liberty) was his second college football game, and he’ll continue to get better.

“He’s making some splash plays right now, and he’s doing his job. He’s not making mistakes. … He’s a really mature presence, and he wants to be good.”

Stribling said he can see a difference as well. His primary concern at the moment is becoming more effective in stopping the run.

“I feel like we’re a big presence in the passing game with our pass rush,” he said, “but we’ve got to be able to stop the run first to be able to get into those passing situations.”

Stribling said he finally is feeling settled with his role and with his knee. He said the potential to re-injure his surgically repaired knee stayed in the back of his mind for a while, but those thoughts since have faded and he has focused all his energy on playing.

Now that Stribling has two healthy knees and a better handle on the college game, there’s no telling what might be next. For him or the Griffins.

“I’m definitely feeling more comfortable,” he said. “I got my first two games out of the way, got the feeling for everything now, comfortable with my teammates. … I feel we have a lot of improvements and we’ve got things to work on, but I feel really good about this squad.”