Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1538407
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5 3 3 D ani Dennis-Sutton knew the danger of saying too much. Asked about teammate Zuriah Fisher at the Penn State football team's preseason media day in early August, his heart said one thing. His head, however, said something else. "I think Zuriah is going to have a great year. I'm not going to say too much," Den- nis-Sutton said. "During the summer, he's been looking great. And in training camp, he's been looking great, so I think he'll have a huge year." The caution surrounding Fisher's super senior season is entirely understandable. He's been on the verge before — twice, in fact — in his Penn State career. After a promising performance as a redshirt freshman in 2021, he was poised to be- come one of the Nittany Lions' breakout players the following year. Instead, he suffered a serious leg injury that kept him out of action for nearly the entire season. Battling back in 2023, Fisher appeared in all 13 games as part of the Lions' de- fensive end rotation, finishing the season with 17 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a fumble recov- ery and a quarterback hurry. In the pro- cess, he solidified himself as a depend- able, mature presence seemingly headed for a big campaign in 2024. Then, another serious leg injury, this one suffered in spring practice, wiped out his season. Instead of building momen- tum, Fisher became defined by the what- ifs that dogged his career. What if he hadn't suffered the devas- tating, sudden loss of his mother, Tra- mane Johnson Fisher, in July 2021? What if he had been able to launch his career in 2022? Or, even with those setbacks, what if he'd carried over his 2023 success into the '24 season? Throughout his career, Fisher has been regarded by Penn State coaches and team- mates as a talented, versatile defensive end brimming with potential. However, that potential has yet to be fully realized. Now, carrying the weight of those missed opportunities and the hopes of a team determined to replace All-America defensive end Abdul Carter, Fisher is being counted on to fill a massive void in 2025. "I think within our program, there's a lot of confidence that Fish has got a chance to have a big year," head coach END ND GAME GAME Veteran edge rusher Zuriah Fisher is poised to see his resilience pay off in his final season with the Nittany Lions NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M "It feels great to be in this position, because I waited a long time to get here. I put the work in. I had some things happen that were out of my control." F I S H E R W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M