Penn State Defense Loses Veteran to Injury

Penn State defensive end Zuriah Fisher, who missed most of the 2022 season because of an injury, could be sidelined in 2024 as well. Fisher sustained an injury during spring drills, a source confirmed. Blue-White Illustrated first reported the news, calling Fisher’s injury “significant” and one that could impact his 2024 season.

Fisher, a fifth-year senior, returned to the Penn State football lineup in 2023 to become a key contributor on the defensive line. Fisher played in all 13 games last year, including a season-high 46 snaps against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. Fisher made one of his 3.5 sacks on the season against Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.

With Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac off to the NFL, Penn State expected Fisher to take an expanded role on the defensive line. Strength coach Chuck Losey said in February that he was “really happy” with the way Fisher responded to the Nittany Lions’ competitive room at defensive end. Fisher had positioned himself to join a four-end rotation with Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Amin Vanover. Penn State coach James Franklin praised Fisher last October for sticking with his career arc.

“To me, he’s what everybody is looking for at defensive end,” Franklin said. “He’s got the ability to be disruptive. He’s got the size. He’s got the length. He’s got the athleticism. He’s had a smile on his face really since he’s got here. He’s had some personal adversity and challenges and setbacks, probably more so than most, and just continues to find ways to be successful.”

Penn State recruited Fisher from Aliquippa High as a linebacker before shifting him to defensive end. Fisher did not play during the 2020 season and appeared in eight games in 2021.

In 2022, Fisher sustained a preseason injury that kept him off the field for most of the year. He returned in November to play against Maryland and Rutgers. Franklin has said that he’s a “big Zuriah Fisher fan.”

“We always kind of thought he had a chance to grow into a defensive end,” Franklin said. “He already had the size. We made that change kind of with his blessing and support, and [he] really started to do some great things. Then [Fisher] gets an injury [in 2022], a fairly significant injury, misses some time for that, and just kind of continues to chip away at it and continues to get better and better and better, both mentally and physically in terms of understanding how to play [defensive] line.

“It was new to him, understanding the scheme. And he’s just one of those guys, to me, that’s a really good example for a lot of guys in the locker room. He’s one of those guys that’s just getting, like, 1 percent better, 1 percent better, 1 percent better. And it maybe doesn’t jump out at you dramatically, but he just continues to get better, and now he’s making plays for us and doing his job. I think he’s got a really bright future here at Penn State and then after that.”

Penn State opens the 2024 season Aug. 31 at West Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on FOX.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.