Disappointed by sophomore season, Isaac determined to lead Lions' DL
Upon reflecting on his 2020 season, Adisa Isaac is unsparing in his self-critique.
Appearing in nine games as a backup at defensive end, Isaac’s 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two quarterback hurries followed a debut in 2019 in which he’d recorded similar statistics. At Pro Football Focus College, Isaac also finished 11th among Penn State’s defensive performers with an overall grade of just 69.1, under his marks in every major category as a true freshman.
Determined to make up for it in 2021, the performance still doesn’t sit well with the rising junior.
“I feel like last year wasn't my best year. I feel like I have a lot of room to grow and a lot more work to get better, a lot of things to get better on,” Isaac told reporters this spring. “I’m glad that I got the chance to play. I'm grateful for that opportunity, but I feel like I have a long way to go and I'm just putting my head down and working right now.”
That effort has not gone unnoticed within Penn State’s coaching staff and among Isaac’s teammates this spring.
Credited by head coach James Franklin for his maturity at the position at the onset of the program’s spring practices, Isaac’s time with Dwight Galt in winter workouts also drew praise. Still hoping to continue an offseason of physical development in which Isaac can build on his listed 6-foot-4, 244-pound frame, the athleticism, explosion strength, power, and length he brings to the field were all appealing foundational qualities on which to grow, Franklin said.
One of Isaac’s daily competitors through spring practices, starting left tackle Rasheed Walker experienced first-hand what those elements can mean.
“I’m pretty sure you know a little bit about him, but he's special,” Walker said. “He's fast. He plays hard to the whistle.”
Beyond the physical traits and the effort component long attached to Isaac’s tenure in the program, the Brooklyn product has also turned his attention to the technical side of the game this offseason.
Now in his second season under the tutelage of defensive line coach John Scott Jr., Isaac said he’s been heavily influenced by the attention to detail that has permeated his instruction throughout the room.
“He gave me this mentality of being a technician,” Isaac said, expanding on the specifics of what those details have been this spring. “It’s mainly just working my hands and technique, reading keys, just the little things that are going to take my game to the next level. There's a lot of talented guys, but not everybody puts in the extra work, working on their craft, so I just want to mainly work on my hand and technique.
“I feel like he brought a lot of great values to the locker room. We all have been improving a lot, especially (with our) technique, and playing with effort. So I feel like he's brought a lot to the D-line room.”
Expected to help lead a group of defensive linemen hungry to reverse the step back it took collectively last season, the effort is one this offseason that Isaac is determined to see pay dividends.
“We all are hard workers and we all know what we want this year,” he said. “What happened to us last year with us being four and five, we got a chip on our shoulder this year, so we are all working extremely hard and it's gonna show and it's gonna pay off for us, and we know it.”
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