Penn State Football Preseason Top 10: #7 Adisa Isaac

It’s time for our annual season top 10! Each summer, the staff votes on its top 10 players ahead of the upcoming season. A first place vote is worth 10 points, second place is worth nine points, and so on.

Reminder: This is a Top 10 for how the players will produce this season. It’s not just based on what they have done in their career up to this point. Instead, it’s how we think they will play this coming season.

How He Got Here

Adisa Isaac came to Penn State as a member of their 2019 recruiting class. Isaac did something that is never easy to do and saw playing time on the defensive line as a true freshman. At times during his true freshman campaign Isaac flashed the potential that made him a top-100 recruit, including completely blowing up a screen play against Michigan that resulted in a Tariq Castro-Fields.

After recording 1.5 sacks in the COVID shortened 2020 season, big things were expected from Isaac in 2021. Isaac was expected to be the team’s best pass rusher in 2021 but was lost for the season due to an injury he suffered in spring ball.

What to Expect in 2022

Isaac is one of the biggest wildcards for the Nittany Lions this fall. If he is healthy he has the tools needed to be one of the best pass rushers in the Big Ten. That said, he has not played in a game since December 2020, so, even if Isaac is healthy, there may be some rust that needs knocked off. Isaac is a vital piece to the Nittany Lion pass rush, as well as the defense as a whole. It would not be a surprise to see Isaac lead the Nittany Lions in sacks this fall while putting together an all-conference type of season.