Sun Devil legacy Isaia Glass discusses ASU offer
Whether it was learning about Arizona State from his father Paul Glass, a former ASU defensive lineman, or through his numerous visits to the Tempe campus, Queen Creek offensive lineman Isaia Glass was quite familiar with the Sun Devils. Earlier today, Glass received an offer from the team he rooted for years now, and even with a busy spring of offers his first one in the summer naturally stands out.
“Getting this offer was kind of a surprise because of the timing of it,” Glass said. “I was talking to ASU a little bit during my (junior) football season, and then I kind of haven’t heard from them in a while. But they spoke to me about this, they have explained themselves, and I understand why they did what they did. I appreciate that a lot.
“Coach Mawae definitely thinks that I’m athletic and that I have a lot of good offensive tackle skills. He thinks that the (ASU) coaches can sharpen them, make me a better player, and help me to reach my goal, which is the NFL. I’m an explosive player, and I play nasty because I like the finish the play, finish my blocks. I enjoy trying to dominate the player in front of me. I would say I’m probably a better run blocker because last season was my first year starting on the offensive line. So, I’ve been doing a lot of training in the offseason, so when the season comes, if it does come, I should be ready to improve my pass protection too.”
The Queen Creek standout said that he might not have had a dream school to play for, but he fondly remembers growing up attending dozens of ASU games at Sun Devil Stadium. And the sone of a defensive lineman, it’s probably no surprise who was his favorite player to watch on Saturdays.
“I remember watching Will Sutton,” Glass said of the back-to-back Pat Tillman Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. “I used to always watch him and thought he was the coolest player ever. It was definitely cool growing up an ASU fan.”
And these days, with the eyes undoubtedly now squared on ASU’s front five, Glass realizes the opportunity that lies ahead if he were to play for the hometown team.
“Watching them play, I like how efficient they were,” Glass described, “and also how young they were because there were having two freshmen starting. They have a lot of young players that played on that team who got a lot of reps and minutes, and they were pretty efficient.”
“That’s cool and nice to know just because if I’m ready to play and able to, that I can compete for a spot.”
Another manner in which Glass has gained familiarity with the team is through his former Bulldog teammate and current Sun Devil linebacker, Fritzny Niclasse.
“Fritzny is my boy, and we talk all the time,” Glass commented. “He definitely speaks highly of the ASU coaches and just the area of Tempe. He says it’s nice staying in-state because obviously, he’s far enough away to where he can do his own thing, but if he needs to go home, it’s not bad a drive.
“My dad definitely talks about ASU and how he enjoyed it. He talks about the players he played with, and that he graduated with Terrell Suggs. So, having building those relationships, he still talks to some people that he played football with there and the coaches. So, he has relationships that he built there.”
With now with an offer from his father alma mater, its naturally begs the question as to whether the father will try and steer his son to the 85281 zip code.
“My parents would like for me to stay home,” Glass admitted. “It would be easier for them to see all of my home games. But at the end of the day, they talked to me, and they know that it’s my decision if I want to stay close to home or not, and they’re totally open to whatever I want to do.”
The Queen Creek offensive lineman holds 10 Power 5 offers with Big 12 programs like Oklahoma State and Iowa State, along with several Pac-12 schools such as Oregon State, Washington State, Utah, and Arizona. Glass isn’t ready at this juncture to cut the list of suitors and concentrate on a handful of suitors or so.
“All the schools that have offered me are recruiting hard,” Glass remarked. “They are all pretty consistent on hitting me up daily. I got to visit Oregon State right before the pandemic started and I was on my way to visit Washington State before I had to head back home. I’ve been to ASU I want to say three times to visit. They definitely have nice facilities that rank one of the highest of the ones that I’ve seen, and they have a nice campus.
“I want to visit other schools too, and I’m not in a rush to make a decision. I’m going to finish out my whole senior year and graduate next year (in May of 2021).”
For the last few months, Glass has been busy working out and maximizing his days bettering himself, especially from a strength perspective.
“It hasn’t been too bad staying in shape during quarantine,” Glass stated. “My friend has a gym at his house, and me and another teammate would work out there every day. So, I never had a drop off, and I would say I got bigger and stronger. I’m benching 315 lbs. now. My high school has been practicing and lifting for a few weeks together. We have to social distance as best we can, and sanitize everything, but we can work out together.
“It’s definitely tough hearing all the time that there might not be a season for high school and college. Obviously, I wanted to check out college games, and the college coaches want to check out my high school senior season. But right now, our coaches are doing a good job, and we’re training as if there is a season. We’re training a lot harder than ever right now. Even working out in smaller groups, we are all adapting, and the coaches are pushing us.”
While the offensive lineman’s recruiting process is wide open with no target dates in mind; Glass is clear on what kind of college environment is wishes to be a part of.
“I want a college town type feel,” Glass explained. “I want to play for genuine coaches, and at a place where I can develop on and off the field. I also want to play for a school that is a place where I can see myself living in for four to five years. Ultimately, that’s where I’m going to have to spend a lot of my college time.”
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Jesse Morrison contributed to this article
