Penn State end Adisa Isaac talks NFL Draft declaration, Peach Bowl playing plans
Atlanta — Penn State defensive end Adisa Isaac is set to cap his college career in the Peach Bowl. The New York native and redshirt senior made official what many expected on Wednesday night: He is off to the NFL after Saturday’s postseason matchup with No. 10 Ole Miss here at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It definitely was a big relief [to announce the news], Isaac said at a news conference Thursday morning. “Kind of just been a lot of thoughts going on with families, coaches, and I felt like it was time. I feel like I put the work in from the last time I talked to you guys [in early December]. And I felt like it was just time for me to make that move.”
“I kind of just finalized it now. But, there were just thoughts that were lingering that kind of popped back in and maybe pop back out. Ultimately, I came with the decision to go and I’m happy with it.”
Isaac earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2023. It was a career year. He led the Lions with 7.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. The Penn State defender suffered a torn Achilles that caused him to miss all of the 2021 season. He returned in 2022 and played well, but decided to come back for one more college season. It paid off in a big way.
“Who knows what would have happened last year if I would have came out,” Isaac said. “You might not have been able to see this type of season this year if I had left. So I mean, everything happens for a reason. That’s why I kind of just stay even keel and just trust the process and kind of just stick to the gut feeling and just keep moving along in a positive direction and try not to stay too stagnant. Everything ended up panning out good for me and I’m happy.”
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Penn State has a plan for Isaac in the Peach Bowl
Lions coach James Franklin has discussed on numerous occasions how the program works with future NFL Draft picks to create a plan that works for everyone so that they do not have to opt out of the bowl game. Isaac is one of numerous Penn State players who will be on some kind of a rep count on Saturday. What exactly it will look like remains to be seen. But, the captain said he never once thought about not finishing the season with his teammates in the postseason.
“I’ll probably play the majority of the game,” Isaac said. “it’s kind of like a [take it] by ear here thing. I’ll be playing good portion. I’ll say the first half for sure. But you know, I might slow down after that.
“As a captain, I feel like we all talked about just staying and finishing the season out right with the team. I mean, you leave early, obviously no knock on nobody, but just leaving early, I just felt like it wasn’t right for the season that we had, the relationships that we built. And I felt like it was the right decision for all of us. We felt together that was the right decision.”
