Penn State football DE Adisa Isaac likely out for season, coach James Franklin says
Penn State football will likely be without one of its projected starting defensive ends for the 2021 season.
Junior defensive end Adisa Isaac was declared out for “a significant amount of time” by Penn State head coach James Franklin Saturday at the program’s media day on Saturday.
Franklin said the junior will not be available “likely for the season.”
Isaac was slated to start for the Nittany Lions after being a rotation player for the first two years he spent on campus. He was expected to step in to help replace Shaka Toney and Odafe Oweh, who were both selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.
He’s recorded three sacks in his career and has the size and athleticism to be an elite defensive end in the Big Ten. Without Isaac, the team will need someone to step up to start across from Arnold Ebiketie along the edge of the defensive line.
Senior Jesse Luketa previously played linebacker but spent the spring training at defensive end as well, and could be an option to start along with redshirt junior Nick Tarburton. Regardless of who takes over the role, the loss of Isaac will be difficult to make up for and could lower the defensive line’s ceiling this season.
The Nittany Lions open the season on the road in Madison, Wisconsin where they’ll take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Sept. 4.
This story was originally published August 7, 2021 at 12:26 PM.
