Commitment Report: Isaiah Green (2020)

St. Cloud Tech senior <strong>Isaiah Green</strong> was surprised when invited to a college camp after his sophomore year. He didn't think he had the best year, but after the offseason, Green made some changes and became one of the best defensive linemen in Minnesota. "I think I had a big improvement from my sophomore year to my junior year," Green said. "I thinned out a bit, got bigger, and put on more muscle. Living in the weight room after my sophomore year, I got quicker and more athletic." Green's improvement was not just physical. "My football IQ got better. I matured more from my sophomore year." As he improved, Green became a more significant part of the Tigers' 3-4 defense. "Sophomore year I was usually at right-side defensive end," Green explained. "Junior year, because I got better, they would move me around to where people were running the ball. I would play some nose guard too." Green is aware of what he does well and what he needs to work on. "My hands improved, but I think I am a well-rounded player. I think I am a good pass rusher – I think that stands out. Sometimes I get upfield too much, and the run will go by me. I have to realize that and learn how to play my gap." Green was a part-time tight end and receiver as a junior. "I have been working on my footwork a lot. I worked on my hands for offense – catching a lot of balls off the Jugs machine. This year I will be more of a full-time offensive player. I will be playing wide receiver on offense." Green - who wrestles in the winter – had his offseason interrupted by injury. "I made the varsity team as a freshman and got third at sections (one place short of State). As a sophomore, I took 5th place at State. I started this season ranked and 5-0. In my next match – on December 7th, I heard my knee pop. I still won the match against a guy who placed at State the year before. The next day I got an MRI and found out I tore my LCL." The injury ended his wrestling season. "I didn't need surgery, but I would go to physical therapy every morning and do different things to work on balance and strengthening my knee," the soon to be three-year defensive line starter said. "I would do a lot of band workouts and would ice my knee a lot. The doctors couldn't believe that I was healed by the end of February." He was back for the track season, threw the shot put and discus and ran the 300-meter hurdles. He also spent time in the weight room. "We did a lot of circuit training, and later we switched to heavier weights," Green, northstarfootballnews.com's <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;"><a style="color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.northstarfootballnews.com/home/rankings/2020-rankings/">18th ranked</a></span></span> senior, said. "This summer has been a lot of conditioning and working on getting bigger." Unlike the recruiting interest after his sophomore season, the interest in him after his junior year was not a surprise. "Recruiting was crazy," Green said. "My sophomore year, my first visit was to South Dakota State, and I was surprised I got invited because I didn't think I did very well in my sophomore year. Coming into my junior year, I went to some camps, and when my junior year started, I started to get contacted by more colleges. In November I got a game day visit from Iowa – everything blew up for me from there. I had schools contacting me that I had not even thought of." Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, New Mexico, and New Mexico State were interested in Green – who is 6'1" and 245 pounds - but they were concerned with his height. "I committed to Northern Iowa. I connected with the defensive line coach, he is a cool dude, a smart guy, and a good coach," Green – who enjoys hunting and fishing in his spare time - explained. "A lot of the other schools were kind of iffy on me because I am 6'1" and they didn't think I could compete. At UNI, my defensive line coach was the defensive player of the year in the conference when he played there and had an eighteen-sack season. He told me, ‘I know your height, but I know you can play.' When he told me there was no problem with my height, that is where I felt home." As a Panther, Green expects to be playing defensive tackle in a four-man defensive front. "They said I had good off the ball quickness and was explosive," Green said. "They liked my pass-rushing ability, and they said I showed a lot of heart." Green was surprised when he got a college invite as a sophomore. After his junior season, no one was surprised by the interest he received this offseason.