Big Ten Daily: Projected Penn State Football Starter Adisa Isaac Likely to Miss Season
Penn State junior defensive end Adisa Isaac was set to help fill the void left by the departure of Micah Parsons and Odafe Oweh to the NFL this season. However, coach James Franklin announced Saturday that Isaac is likely to miss the 2021 campaign due to injury.
Franklin said during the team's media day that Isaac suffered an undisclosed injury unrelated to football training.
"Adisa's been phenomenal in terms of what he needs to do [potentially to play]," Franklin said. "You never know, but he will be out for a significant amount of time."
Last season, Isaac appeared in all nine games for the Nittany Lions. He ended the year with 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries. As a freshman in 2019, he played in 11 games and recorded 14 total tackles, three for loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
For more from our Sports Illustrated Penn State site, AllPennState, CLICK HERE.
Ohio State Among Final Choices for 5-star 2023 RB Recruit
Richard Young, a five-star running back from Lehigh Senior High School in Lehigh Acres, Florida, has narrowed down his top college destinations to 10 schools.
Among the programs he listed Sunday on social media, Ohio State was the only Big Ten program he is considering. His top school also include Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Georgia, Oklahoma State, Oregon and USC.
One Step Closer #Blessed🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/rqzZr9cav0
— Richard Young (@richardyoung239) August 8, 2021
Young is a 6-foot, 190-pound prospect and the No. 1 ranked running back from the class of 2023, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is also rated as the 17th player in the nation and the fifth-best in the state of Florida.
Before narrowing down his choices, Young fielded offers from 41 different programs. He has yet to take an official visit. In his past two seasons of high school football, Young has recorded 211 carries for 1,836 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Ohio State doesn't yet have a verbal commitment to its 2023 recruiting class. The team currently boasts the No. 4 class in the 2022 cycle, which ranks second in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports.
Indiana Running Backs Must Earn Carries in 2021
For an Indiana football team that produced a stellar 2020 season, improving the offense's rushing attack will be a top priority. The Hoosiers got a boost by bringing in Deland McCullough as the program's running backs coach and associate head coach.
McCullough spent the last three seasons working with the Kansas City Chiefs, which included a Super Bowl victory in 2019. Now, he is overseeing a running back group that has no clear frontrunner for the starting spot.
"The great thing is, you have a bunch of guys who understand what's at stake,” McCullough said Friday when he met with the local media. “There’s going to be an opportunity for all of them to show what they can do. It will be a day-to-day thing. All the guys are embracing the execution, and that’s what you want.
"We’re trying to spread the reps around. We’re trying to give a bunch of guys an opportunity behind the No. 1 offensive line, but more importantly, no matter what line they’re behind, we want to make sure their details and execution are on the level they need to be.''
When Indiana released its preseason depth chart, sophomore Tim Baldwin Jr. was listed with the first team, with junior Sampson James second and fifth-year transfer Stephen Carr from USC third.
They'll look to replace the production of Stevie Scott III, who played three seasons with the Hoosiers and is now in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints. McCullough said the most important thing for the starter is to protect the quarterback and the football.
“It’s the most complete guy,” he said. “I don’t want to be in a situation where we've got to pass and I don’t trust this guy in pass protection. Or we've got a situation where I don’t trust him with the ball. If he’s a great runner, but he fumbles every 20 carries or something like that, we can't have that.
"The guy has got to be a complete guy. He’s got to be able to do everything. Yes, you’ll put guys in positions to maximize things, but as far as who your starter would be, he’s got to be the most complete guy. You can complement with guys in other areas, but your starter has to be the most complete guy.”
For more from our Sports Illustrated Indiana site, HoosiersNow, CLICK HERE.
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.