THE SKINNY

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 271 pounds

Hometown/High School: Laurel, Maryland (DeMatha Catholic)

Ranking: ★★★★ (0.9144 247Sports Composite — No. 245 overall)

Notable Offers: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas A&M

HIGHLIGHTS

THE TALE

Last summer, Coziah Izzard camped for the Nittany Lion coaching staff. This camp performance led to him earning an offer from James Franklin and company. With this offer, Penn State quickly became a leader for the Maryland native.

Izzard visited twice more last summer, including July’s Lasch Bash BBQ. He then returned to campus for the Whiteout against Ohio State in September. He also popped up on campus for junior day in February, a practice in March, and returned for his official visit the weekend of June 21st - 23rd.

Throughout much of his recruitment Izzard committing to Penn State appeared to be more of a question of if than when. That when has finally arrived.

Izzard attends powerhouse DeMatha Catholic in Maryland where he is teammates with offensive line commit Golden Israel-Achumba. Landing players from DeMatha and working on building relationships there is never a bad thing. It’s a little hard to believe, but Izzard and GIA are the first DeMatha products to choose the Nittany Lions since Shane Simmons.

OUTLOOK

Recruiting services list Izzard as a strong side defensive end. However, when you’re a junior in high school and already 270 pounds, nature is going to take over and turn you into a defensive tackle. Expect Izzard’s long term future to be on the interior of the defensive line.

Size and strength are not issues for Izzard. He has a good bull rush and can overpower opposing offensive linemen. Izzard is also good with his hands which is a key trait for defensive linemen to help them with shedding blocks.

At times, Izzard plays a bit high. He could also benefit from an improved first step and getting off the ball quicker. However, these are things he can work on with Sean Spencer once he is on campus.