Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1276571
| C oziah Izzard's 8rst real Penn State ex- perience couldn't have been much more auspicious. Then just a freshman at St. Vincent Pallotti in Maryland, he ac- companied current Nittany Lion wide re- ceiver Cam Sullivan-Brown on his visit to watch Penn State play then-No. 2 Ohio State on a late-October night in 2016. Few who were inside Beaver Stadium that night will forget what they saw, as the Lions pulled o9 one of the program's greatest upsets thanks to Grant Haley's return of Marcus Allen's blocked kick. The spectacle certainly stuck with Izzard. "Just from that game, I fell in love with the school," he said. "I loved the atmos- phere, and just from there, I always liked Penn State. When they 8nally o9ered me, I was excited. They recruited me hard. I looked more into the school and they had very good academics, and they're one of the best teams in college football." Izzard is now in a position to make the Nittany Lions even better. The No. 15 re- cruit in Maryland in the 2020 class, he transferred to DeMatha ahead of his jun- ior season and went on to earn a four-star rating. He also received interest from all over the country. A defensive end in high school, Izzard is expected to play defensive tackle in col- lege. He earned o9ers from 28 schools, including Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Florida and Ohio State, but he chose to sign with the Nittany Lions, giving James Franklin a verbal commitment in June 2019. He lettered all four years and was twice named a team captain at DeMatha, accu- mulating 12 sacks and 12 tackles for loss during his junior year. His senior year was even better, as he totaled 20 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He played both defensive end positions in high school while also making the oc- casional move inside. Penn State lists Iz- zard at 6-foot-3, 273 pounds, and with that size comes plenty of athleticism. "I feel like I'm pretty good with my lat- eral movement and 8ring o9 the ball," Iz- zard said. "I have a lot of power coming o9 the ball." Izzard is part of an exciting defensive line class for the Nittany Lions. It in- cludes six commits, with Cole Brevard and Amin Vanover each also earning a four-star rating. The competition for Izzard will be sti9, but he has high aspirations for his time in blue and white. "I want to be one of the best [defensive linemen] to come out of the school," he said. "I do want to work more on my tech- nique and my hands, and I'm just hoping they get me in the best shape of my life so I can be the best player I can be." Izzard isn't quite sure what he wants to study; he's thinking about criminal jus- tice or kinesiology. But he certainly does- n't lack for o9-the-8eld interests. When he's not making life di:cult for opposing quarterbacks, Izzard is something of an artist. He picked up a drawing hobby from his father when he was young, he said, and is still at it now as a high school graduate. His most recent sketch is a wolf, but Izzard said he'll illustrate just about anything. "I just like to draw things," he said. "There have been times when I look up di9erent types of shows or cartoons and try and draw that. "My dad's a drawer," Izzard added. "He showed me his drawings when I was little, and that just made me want to draw more." ■ Rousing PSU win made a big impression on Izzard THE IZZARD FILE STATS Was a four-year letterman and two-time team cap- tain... Totaled 60 tackles, including 20 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, as a senior... Posted a combined total of 18 sacks and 17 TFL during his sophomore and junior seasons HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 33 defensive tackle nationally and No. 15 prospect in Maryland CLICK HERE to see video of Izzard in action. trainer work with him three days a week throughout the COVID-19 shutdown. Unlike most of his teammates, he wasn't forced to think outside the box when it came to training. Ahead of his enroll- ment, he said he hoped to make an impact as soon as he gets an opportunity, but that doesn't mean that it has to be on the Beaver Stadium 8eld this season. "One thing I learned from our leader- ship council at McDonogh is that you can make a big impact on a team in di9erent ways. You don't have to just be the best player to be a good leader," Jacobs said. "Giving it everything on scout team and asking questions during 8lm sessions doesn't just impact you, it impacts every- one. That's what I want to do this season. If I get on the 8eld, it would be even bet- ter, but I just want to show everyone that I'm here to help this team get better." ■