PSU Nittany Lions

HERSHEY, Pa. -- Beneath the specter of an uncertain future, and a criminal act the community is all too aware of, Zayd Issah lingered on the field Saturday night -- and finally smiled.

With sweat running down his nose and his face, so that it was indistinguishable from what might have been tears, Issah smiled. It has been an emotionally taxing three months for the three-star athlete, who faces several charges for allegedly passing off counterfeit $20 bills at fast-food restaurants. He tried to enjoy an oasis of football on Saturday night.

Under the lights of Hersheypark Stadium, after Pennsylvania dominated Maryland 58-27 in the Big 33 Game, he quickly embraced four-star PSU signee Andrew Nelson. He sought out his family on the field, and he stopped every few seconds to sign autographs and pose for giggling girls who asked for group photos.

Issah obliged, but he kept walking, away from the crowds and the groups, without any destination in particular. It seemed as if he just wanted to soak in the moment and forget about his troubles for at least a little.

"They say football's a game of second chances," he said. "So I want to use mine to the best of my ability and make the most out of it."

Bill O'Brien has not severed ties with the talented linebacker out of Harrisburg (Pa.) Central Dauphin. The staff appeared to offer him an ultimatum: Head elsewhere or enroll in prep school, clean up your act and then maybe rejoin the PSU family in January.

That's still the plan for Issah, who is deciding between Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy and New Berlin (N.Y.) Milford Academy.

"Where do you stand with PSU?" asked one reporter.

"It's Linebacker U," he replied, harkening back to the same response he gave nearly 190 days ago. "Penn State's Linebacker U. That's all I got to say. I got my sights set on PSU right now, unless something changes."

Issah, still smiling and receiving pats on the back from passers-by, was pressed. What could that "something" be?

"I'll know when it happens, really," he said, nodding when asked if he's heading in with the mindset that he'll remain a Nittany Lion.

Individual defensive stats were not kept at the Big 33 Game, but Issah's name echoed over the PA system throughout the night. He started at outside linebacker, played defensive end during "speed packages," and seemed to leave all the emotion and bottled-up frustration of three months on the field.

On one early play, Issah drifted right but quickly reversed course and made a tackle near the opposite sideline. It was an effort not lost on Pennsylvania coach Art Walker, who focused on Issah's leadership this past week and didn't mention his less-recent hardship.

"He just had great work ethic," said Walker, who coaches Wexford (Pa.) North Allegheny. "He did a great job of anything we asked. He handled everything we threw at him. He responded well and had a great attitude.

"He's a good teammate, and he led by example. He's everything you want out of a player."

Issah isn't completely sure what comes next. He'll enroll in one of those two prep schools by August, but he's not yet sure which one. It'll likely come down to finances, he said.

The 6-foot-3 prospect already knows he'll be receiving scholarship assistance from FUMA. Milford hasn't yet responded with a number.

"I'm a little closer with Fork Union right now," he said, "so I'm still waiting to get a relationship with Milford."

Issah simply responded with, "Yeah," when asked if he felt like he received a fair shake. But, with his shoulder pads still on and that smile still fixed to his face, he thought for a moment when asked one final question, whether he wanted to get anything off his chest.

"I love to play football. I don't want to stop; that's it," he said. "And I'm glad they didn't take that chance away from me."

NittanyNation takes a look at this week's Penn State football news and what you might have missed:

• PSU released an updated depth chart late last week, and there were a few surprises.
• Minkah Fitzpatrick is primed to be one of the top DBs in his 2015 class, and it's difficult to find someone more dedicated to his craft. From the 75-minute drives to school to not resting on his days off, Fitzpatrick already means business.
• In this video clip, "College Football Live" discussed the Penn State quarterback situation in 2013 and how Bill O'Brien has been able to lure top QBs to Happy Valley. Earlier in the week, in another video, ESPN also addressed the importance of adding ESPN 150 Michael O'Connor.
• Former Heisman winner Chris Weinke talked about O'Connor and just what Penn State's getting in this in-depth Q&A.
• 2015 DE Darius Fullwood said PSU is going to be one of his top choices after receiving an offer at a recent camp.
• Incoming run-on QB Jack Seymour turned down several MAC offers for a spot on PSU's roster. He talked about that and his career goals in a Q&A.
• 2015 WR Irvin Charles didn't initially expect PSU to wind up in his top two this quickly, but he also didn't expect to enjoy the Happy Valley atmosphere so much, either.
• We talked underrated recruits, Christian Hackenberg's odds to start and more in this past week's SportsNation chat.
• What nonconference opponent would most fans like to see Penn State play? Brian Bennett polled some PSU fans to find out.
• Juco DL Cory Johnson said, if he had to commit somewhere tomorrow, he'd pick Penn State . His scholarship offer is pending a transcript.
• 2016 QB Jarrett Guarantano caught a lot of eyes at a recent PSU camp and he said his visit to Happy Valley definitely exceeded his expectations.
• 2015 OL Matt Burrell already has 17 offers, but he offered up his early opinion on the Nittany Lions .
• Adam Rittenberg took a look at some of the B1G's top first-year players to watch. And, of course, a PSU player happened to find his way on the list.
• 2015 WR/DB David Dowell already has PSU in his top three and he talked about that and more in the most recent edition of "5 Questions."
• We shared a notebook on PSU's June 8 camp , from who came away with an offer to the top performers.

NittanyNation reporter Josh Moyer stopped by SportsNation on Friday to chat about the state of Penn State football and answer your questions.

QB Jack Seymour (Indianapolis, Ind./Park Tudor) is one of the more interesting stories of this class of run-ons. He turned down several scholarship offers to walk-on to PSU, and he'll be one of just five QBs on the PSU roster this season.

NittanyNation recently caught up with the quarterback to talk about his career goals, what he's currently up to and more. He'll join the team June 22.

NittanyNation: So, tell me, what have you been doing lately to get ready for Penn State? Are you trying to relax a bit now, or are you in full-workout mode?

Jack Seymour: Well, I've been trying to get up at 6:30 to get ready for workouts. I've been lifting every day, and I'm doing boxing to cross-train -- so I've been doing 2-3 workouts a day, and I'm doing the playbook about 30 minutes each day. I've got a big whiteboard up on my room, so I've been drawing up routes and stuff. I've been working hard.

NN: I don't hear about boxing quarterbacks too often. What's the goal behind that?

JS: I've heard from some coaches that it helps with the throwing hand -- and it also helps with my heart rate too, because there's a lot of running. It's a hard workout. It's like cardio and explosiveness with my throwing hand.

I've definitely noticed a difference -- especially on the 20-yard, 18-yard and comeback routes. It's helped with arm strength, with the quick release and stuff like that.

NN: Your role is a bit more important this year since there are only two scholarship QBs. What were your thoughts when Steven Bench left?

JS: Well, first off, Bench and I were -- after I met him, I just saw what a cool guy he was. So, it sucks he left, but it did get me excited and put me in a great spot because I'll have a better opportunity for reps and to get on the field.

I mean, it's just another thing that helps me moving forward, that I'm going to have a better opportunity. I was excited in hearing that, not in the sense he left but in the sense there's more space for me because I know it would've been harder to get reps with three quarterbacks.

NN: What are your goals for this first season and for your career at PSU?

JS: I'm not thinking of setting myself for a certain position or a certain spot. I'm not going to say my goal is to get second string, and I don't want to be cocky and say I want to become a starter. But that's ultimately it. If a QB doesn't have that as a goal, I guess something's kind of wrong with you.

I just want to get as high up as I can and do my best for the team. And obviously, just as Matt McGloin did incredible things in his fifth year, I guess my goals would be similar to him. Just working my way up competing. ... So I think my expectation is to really never let an opportunity slip by, like if someone might be injured and I go in. I'm going to be prepared no matter what.

NN: You played for a small team at a school that was more accustomed to tennis championships. But, you still managed to get noticed by several FBS programs. How did you manage to catch coaches' eyes?

JS: Hard work, just on and off the field. My freshman year, I had the opportunity to transfer to a bigger school where I'd be on a bigger team and all that. And, ultimately, I decided not to because I thought that no matter where I was at, I'd make myself stand out.

I committed to the guys at Park, and I didn't want to leave them. My goal my freshman year was to be the first quarterback from there to go D-I. I think we've had 2-3 guys go D-I at other positions, and I just had a lot of help from my coaches who'd reach out to guys for me. It just worked out. I ended up getting really good film in three years, so I think I'm just making the best of what I had. I got the opportunity to scramble a lot, took advantage and made plays.

NN: For those still wondering, why did you decide to turn down several offers to walk-on to Penn State?

JS: Well, the MAC schools I had offers from, those are great schools. But, in my mind, I wanted a better education and, second off, I kind of wanted to give myself a shot at a bigger program to see how I would do. I was looking at the perfect fit with football, academics and coaches. And at Penn State, well, you can't really get anymore perfect than Penn State when it comes to that. So when that opportunity came up, I was ecstatic.

NN: How do you want to be remembered at PSU?

JS: Oh man, I 'm trying to think of something off the top of my head. I guess I want to be known as someone who can be counted on the field and off the field. I'm not going to be someone who gets in trouble. I'm going to be an honest, hard-working player who's going to give everything I have to the university and friends and family and coaches there.

Brad Bournival breaks down the Ohio State 2014 class and explains why Marshon Lattimore is such a coveted prospect. And Josh Moyer joins to discuss how Penn State has set itself up at quarterback with the addition of ESPN 150 recruit Michael O’Connor.