Adisa Isaac, blossoming as player and leader, ready for what's next

Adisa Isaac is tired of waiting. The Penn State defensive end, like many of his Nittany Lion teammates, is prepared for Saturday night’s season kickoff against West Virginia.

Set to host the Mountaineers in front of a packed house and national television audience (7:30 p.m., NBC), he’s also ready to face a new opponent.

“Very anxious. Long offseason, going against our offense every day in camp. Man, I’m tired of going against them. I need to go against somebody else,” Isaac said. “So, I’m excited for that. I’m pretty sure everybody else is, too.”

Making a mark

The opportunity stands as the next one for Isaac, who has been through peaks and valleys during his career with the Nittany Lions. 

Appearing frequently as a true freshman during the 2019 season, Isaac propelled himself into a strong sophomore campaign in which he demanded an ever-increasing role along Penn State’s defensive line. Over the COVID-19-amended nine-game schedule, that manifested itself as 13 tackles, with 1.5 sacks, as a backup.

The following offseason, though, the progress stopped abruptly. Suffering a year-ending injury during the summer months ahead of the 2021 schedule, Isaac was forced to the sidelines. From that unfamiliar vantage point, though, Penn State head coach James Franklin said Isaac found growth.

“Like for most of us, the adversity at the time is hard. It is,” Franklin said Wednesday evening following the team’s practice. “But, I think Adisa is the player and the person he is today for going through it. And I think that’s a valuable lesson that we all learn over time. With age, and wisdom, all these battles and all these adversities and challenges that may come at you, a lot of times they’re blessings. They force you to grow in ways that you normally wouldn’t grow.”

Returning fully healthy for the 2022 season, Isaac started each of the Nittany Lions’ 13 games. In the process, he finished among the top rep-earners on defense, notching 505 snaps while making 28 tackles, 11 TFL, four sacks, and eight quarterback hurries. The effort earned Isaac third-team All-Big Ten recognition and the team’s top defensive lineman award, alongside Chop Robinson.

Next steps

Meanwhile, Isaac was developing into a presence for the program whose value extended beyond the playing field. Once reserved, Isaac instead has blossomed interpersonally with his teammates and coaches, ultimately landing as a team captain for the defense earlier this month.

“Adisa is just in a really good place. He’s in a great place academically. He’s in a great place athletically, from a leadership standpoint,” Franklin said. “I think you guys have gotten to know him. He’s an Impressive, impressive young man.”

Still, eager to parlay those gains into production for the Nittany Lions this weekend, Isaac is now focused on what’s next. The culmination of an offseason of hard work, it’s the avenue from which Isaac intends to depart with confidence.

“We’ve had all offseason, we’ve had time to make mistakes. We’ve had time to correct them. And we have had time to grow,” Isaac said. “So I feel like we’ve made sure that we get all the mistakes out of the way. 

“You don’t want to make mistakes on the big stage. That’s what the offseason and camp and all that was for. So I feel like we have a pretty good understanding of what we have in our room and our team. It’s just about going out there and executing at this point.”