All 105 is a Nittany Sorts Now series profiling each Penn State football player. In this edition, we will be taking a look at redshirt junior defensive end Adisa Isaac.
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 249 pounds
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Before Penn State: Isaac was a team captain in three of his four seasons at Canarsie High School.
After his senior season— which ended with Isaac posting 25 sacks, 88 tackles and 34 tackles for loss— USATodaynamed Isaac to its All-USA New York Team, and the National Football Foundation named him its 2018 New York City Mr. Football.
A consensus four-star recruit and the consensus top-ranked player in New York from the 2019 class, Isaac committed and signed with Penn State on Early Signing Day in 2018.
2019: Isaac appeared in 11 of Penn State’s 13 games, making his college debut on opening day against Idaho.
He ended the year with 14 total tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
2020: Isaac played in all nine of Penn State’s games, ending the year with 13 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries.
2021: Isaac missed the entire season with an injury.
2022: It’s hard to tell how good Isaac or any player will be after nearly two years without playing in a football game, but reviews of Isaac’s recovery journey are encouraging.
At defensive end, Penn State has talent coming back with Nick Tarburton returning and talent coming in, with Chop Robinson transferring in from Maryland and five-star Dani Dennis-Sutton starting his college career.
With Robinson not getting the benefit of practicing with Penn State in the spring, the common thought is that Isaac and Tarburton will be Penn State’s starters on the edge.
If Isaac can shake off the rust, he can be a force in coordinator Manny Diaz’s first Penn State defense.
A quote about Isaac: “He just has some things you can’t teach,” Diaz said earlier this spring. “In terms of athleticism, his ability to bend, turn the corner, his length… we’re excited to see him grow in his role every day.”
