Before Isaiah Land become one of the top HBCU prospects in the 2023 NFL draft, he had an electric career at Florida A&M. Land won the Buck Buchanan Award (the FCS defensive player of the year) and helped Florida A&M advance to the FCS playoffs.
Here's more on Land's college football career.
The vitals on Isaiah Land
School: Florida A&M
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6-4
Weight: 225 pounds
Years active: 2018-22
Here are Land's career stats in college.
| YEAR | GAMES | SOLO TKL | AST TKL | TOTAL | TFL | SACKS | PD | FF | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2019 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 12 | 32 | 11 | 43 | 25.5 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | 8 | 20 | 3 | 23 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 29 | 62 | 27 | 89 | 42.5 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
Zay Land went full 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘 last night recording 3 sacks!#FAMU | #Rattlers | #LeaveNoDoubt pic.twitter.com/tMCioid3kp
— Florida A&M Football 🏈 (@FAMU_FB) October 3, 2021
What kind of prospect was Land in high school?
Isaiah Land, a native of Buffalo, New York, went to Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. Land was unranked in the class of 2018 by all major recruiting outlets. Land didn't play football from the age of 11 until his junior year of high school, per Sports Illustrated. During his senior year, Land finished with 22 tackles and seven sacks.
Back when they called me a “JV Junior” started playing in 11th grade. Never forget, it doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you finish 💯🐺 pic.twitter.com/i6o4EG9OAW
— Isaiah Land🐺 (@IsaiahLand716) March 20, 2018
What was Land's record in college?
Land and Florida A&M finished a combined 27-7 during his final three years. After redshirting his freshman year, Land played in his final three seasons, helping lead the Rattlers to the 2021 FCS playoffs.
👀 COLLEGE CAREERS OF NFL STARS
2023 NFL Draft QBs: Bryce Young | C.J. Stroud | Will Levis | Anthony Richardson | Hendon Hooker
2023 NFL Draft Off. Skill: Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Jordan Addison | Quentin Johnston | Zay Flowers | Bijan Robinson
2023 NFL Draft DL: Jalen Carter | Will Anderson Jr. | Myles Murphy | Tyree Wilson
2023 NFL Draft FCS: Tucker Kraft | Andrei Iosivas | Hunter Luepke
2022 NFL Draft: Christian Watson | Brock Purdy | Bailey Zappe | Skylar Thompson | Isiah Pacheco
2021 NFL Draft: Trevor Lawrence | Trey Lance | Ja'Marr Chase | Justin Fields | Mac Jones | DeVonta Smith
2020 NFL Draft: Joe Burrow | Tua Tagovailoa | Tee Higgins | Jalen Hurts
2019 NFL Draft: Kyler Murray | Deebo Samuel | Gardner Minshew II | Miles Sanders | A.J. Brown
2018 NFL Draft: Lamar Jackson | Baker Mayfield | Josh Allen | Darius Leonard
2017 NFL Draft: Patrick Mahomes | Deshaun Watson | Cooper Kupp |
Juju Smith-Schuster | Haason Reddick
2016 NFL Draft: Carson Wentz | Jalen Ramsey | Chris Jones
2014 NFL Draft: Aaron Donald | Odell Beckham Jr. | Khalil Mack | Jerick McKinnon
FCS alums: Jimmy Garoppolo | Taylor Heinicke
Legends: Tom Brady | Jackie Robinson | Deion Sanders | Cam Newton
More: Matthew Stafford | Travis Kelce
Records set by Land
Here are some of the notable records and statistical rankings set by Land in college:
- 1st in Florida A&M single-game sacks (5)
The nation’s sack leader Isaiah Land is quarterbacks and offensive linemen’s worst nightmare!#FAMU | #Rattlers | #LeaveNoDoubt pic.twitter.com/BvtAnImdXR
— Florida A&M Football 🏈 (@FAMU_FB) October 11, 2021
Which awards did Land win in college?
Here are the awards and honors Land won in college:
- First-Team All-SWAC (2022)
- Buck Buchanan Award (2021)
- First-Team All-American by AFCA, AP, Athlon, Stats Perform , HERO Sports and BOXTOROW (2021)
- SWAC Defensive Player of the Year (2021)
- First-Team All-SWAC (2021)
“Ain’t talking Disney, but I had to get it off the Land” - Kodak Black
— Maliik Obee (@NFLMaliik) October 27, 2021
Isaiah Land ~ DE ~ FAMU 🐍
FCS Sacks Leader (11.5 in 7 Games)@DraftHBCU #DraftHBCUPlayers 🏈 pic.twitter.com/le9wIxWfPO
