The countdown to the beginning of Penn State's 2024 season is officially underway. Today marks just 99 days until Penn State football's season opener against West Virginia on August 31.
With the countdown officially on, we will be looking at one Nittany Lion each day coinciding their jersey number with the days remaining in the kickoff. If there is no player on the roster, we will instead take a look at a Nittany Lion from the past or a season from the past that coincides with the days remaining (ex: the 1999 season for 99 days).
That all being said, today we start the countdown with No. 99, Penn State defensive tackle, Coziah Izzard.
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The senior defensive tackle out of DeMatha Catholic is returning for his final season with the program after playing in 11 games last season, recording 16 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
Through his career thus far, Izzard has played in 35 games, recording 47 career tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and seven sacks.
2023 SEASON RECAP
The 2023 season was one of Izzard's better seasons as noted above. He played in 11 of 13 games, recording 16 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
From Pro Football Focus's perspective, it was the best of his career. He recorded a career high defensive rating of 70.6, a run defense grade of 75.9 and a tackling grade of 80.2. He was credited with no missed tackles on the season.
Thanks to Izzard's development and strong season, the Nittany Lions put together one of the country's best defensive lines in 2023.
2024 PROJECTION
Izzard will be in line once again for considerable playing time in 2024 even though Penn State is expected to return each of their top four defensive tackles from the 2023 season in Dvon Ellies, Hakeem Beamon, Coziah Izzard, and Zane Durant. If all four are able to stay healthy for the upcoming season, the Nittany Lions should once again have one of the best defensive tackle groups in the country.
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