Andrew Isaacs has made an early impact for Maryland football after switching to defense

In Maryland football’s 63-17 win over Towson on Saturday, the Terrapin defense registered four sacks. Andrew Isaacs finished with 1.5 to lead the team—in his first college action at his new position.

Isaacs, a redshirt senior, played tight end for four years in College Park. He caught two passes for three yards in 2014. But a gruesome knee injury at the end of that season kept him off the field for all of 2015, and by the time he was healthy again, the Terps had other options at the position.

But rather than transfer and put up numbers in his final season, Isaacs volunteered to switch to defensive end for the Terps. “It was frustrating [not to play], but I believe in the direction of this program and what we’re doing,” he said after Saturday’s game. “Leaving was not an option. I always wanted to stay and help us win.” He’s in graduate school at Maryland now, and with just a handful of reps is second on the team in sacks.

With Jesse Aniebonam out for perhaps the season, the Terps need all the defensive line help they can find. Isaacs might not have lineman size—he’s listed at 6’2, 254 pounds—he’s already shown a glimpse of what he can bring. It’s unclear how much time he’ll see in high-leverage situations this year, but after all he’s battled through, Saturday’s second half was a career highlight.

“Individually, it was probably one of my better moments,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of great times here at Maryland on the field and winning games … but that was probably my best moment.”

In other news

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