Why Penn State teammates already think true freshman DE Adisa Isaac is a future first-round pick
Penn State true freshman Adisa Isaac turned 18 years old just last month — but teammates are already labeling him a future first-round NFL draft pick.
The young defensive end out of Brooklyn hasn’t posted incredible stats to this point, racking up 1.5 sacks and three tackles-for-loss in eight games, but his fellow Nittany Lions have already seen enough in camp and at practice.
“Adisa Isaac is going to be a first-round pick,” said defensive end Shaka Toney, a redshirt junior. “That guy is coachable coachable. I wish I had that level of maturity at his age. It’s crazy.”
Added defensive tackle Antonio Shelton: “I definitely agree with Shaka. ... I think Adisa’s definitely going to be a first-round draft pick.”
Isaac isn’t exactly a hidden gem. He was one of the nation’s top-100 overall high school prospects, according to 247 Sports, and he posted 25 sacks and 34 tackles-for-loss as a senior. He was also a three-time team captain, the All-USA New York Defensive Player of the Year and New York City’s Mr. Football.
He boasted more than 30 scholarship offers — from the likes of Alabama, Florida and LSU — and defensive line coach Sean Spencer has a reputation for creating NFL-ready players. But it was unusual to hear teammates rave about a player who wasn’t even old enough to vote at the start of the season.
“Y’all can quote me in a few years when he’s getting ready to be a top pick in the NFL,” Toney added. “He’s going to be special. Promise you that.”
Isaac earned the trust of this coaching staff early on, and head coach James Franklin knew he wanted to burn the freshman’s redshirt early in the season. That’s saying something, considering the depth on the Nittany Lions’ defensive line — Jayson Oweh runs a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at 256 pounds, for example, and he’s a backup.
But Franklin and his players pointed to Isaac’s maturity and coachability as driving forces behind his high expectations. He’s obviously talented, but his business-like demeanor only magnifies that.
“Adisa is extremely coachable,” Shelton said. “He’s probably one of the most coachable people I’ve been around. He doesn’t take things personal; all he wants to do is get better.”
Added Toney: “He’ll ask me on a pass-rush, ‘What should I do?’ I can say dive, three burpees, a jumping jack, spin, get a sack — he’ll do it exactly the way I said it. No attitude.”
With two siblings who are both Autistic — and with an older brother who was born with an umbilical cord around his neck, affecting his development — Isaac was forced to grow up quickly.
That maturity doesn’t disappear on the football field, and that’s partly why he was such a coveted recruit at this time last year. The longtime wrestler committed to Penn State on Dec. 17, 2018, after finishing his high school career with 39 career sacks.
He hasn’t just impressed players along the defensive line, either. Backup offensive lineman Des Holmes said Isaac — affectionately known as Young Deese — has shown marked improvement since first arriving on campus. Starting safety Lamont Wade called him a freak of nature while adding, “His ceiling is so high.” And Franklin praised his humility, coachability and maturity.
The true freshman still has a long way to develop, but he’s off to the kind of start that’s excited a lot of his teammates. And none were more vocal about Isaac’s future than Toney.
“He’s a dream freshman,” added Toney, who’ll turn 22 years old in January. “Don’t get in trouble, asks a lot of questions. He knows his place. He’s always around. He’s a sponge. The things that he’s doing now, I’m doing at this age now. It’s just really impressive.”
