Zuriah Fisher has overcome much disappointment and tragedy over the last five years.
He described his Penn State journey as “mentally and physically draining.”
“I was able to get through everything I’ve been through,” Fisher said Tuesday. “I’m just happy to be here.”
He missed most of the 2022 season with an injury, returned to play in every game two years ago and missed last season with another injury. On top of his physical ailments, his mother died in 2021.
It’s no wonder why every Penn State football player, coach and staff member roots for him and why he was thrilled to return to action last week against FIU.
“It was honestly the greatest feeling in the world,” Fisher said. “It just feels so good to be back playing. It really felt so long since I played. It definitely felt good to be out there playing with my brothers and playing in front of the fans.
“I felt so happy afterwards.”
Fisher made the first start of his career in the 34-0 win over the Panthers. He wasn’t credited with a tackle, a sack or a quarterback hurry, but he knocked down quarterback Keyone Jenkins on the second snap.
Penn State defensive end Zuriah Fisher (36) tries to tackle Florida International quarterback Keyone Jenkins during the Nittany Lions’ 34-0 win last week. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
“Oh, man, I had some pressures,” he said. “I have to get to the quarterback, though. I have to do better. I have to knock off the rust a little bit more.”
Fisher, a 6-3, 259-pound sixth-year senior from Aliquippa, and All-America candidate Dani Dennis-Sutton are expected to lead the pass rush for the Nittany Lions and to provide guidance to young guns like Chaz Campbell, Jaylen Harvey, Mylachi Williams and others.
“We’re young at defensive end,” Penn State coach James Franklin said, “so that experience and that leadership is important for us.”
Fisher was an outstanding two-sport athlete at Aliquippa, which has produced Pro Football Hall of Famers Darrelle Revis, Ty Law and Mike Ditka.
In basketball, he led the Quips to the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals as a senior in 2020, averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds a game. In football, he was a three-year starter on Aliquippa teams that went 39-4 and won the PIAA 3A championship in 2018.
As a three-star recruit, he chose Penn State over Michigan State, Kentucky, Nebraska and Pitt.
Fisher’s only full season with the Lions came in 2023 when he made 17 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, and recovered a fumble. He suffered a knee injury during spring practice in 2024 that kept him out until last week.
He said he endured low points and often thought about his mother, Tramane Johnson Fisher, and her strength until she died in July 2021 at the age of 44.
“The reason why I didn’t stop was because of my mom,” Fisher said. “She was kind of sick her whole life. I saw her battle through a lot of things (including diabetes). I never saw my mom quit, so why would I quit?
“My mom was very important to me. I was a mama’s boy. I saw her battle through a lot of things. That just helped me to get through football and everything.”
During his rehabilitation and recovery last year, Fisher spent a lot of time with tight end Andrew Rappleyea, who suffered a similar knee injury before the second game of last season.
“He kept telling me it was a process,” Rappleyea said. “He told me that I was coming back but that it might take a little time. Fish was always there for me.”
“That’s my boy,” Fisher said about Rappleyea. “I knew everything that he was going through because I went through it.”
That’s part of the reason why Fisher is so well-respected inside Lasch Building and why so many people were happy for his return, even if it was delayed a week.
He thought he was ready to play in Penn State’s opener against Nevada before the coaches and medical staff decided to hold him out another week. He was slightly frustrated by the decision, but not crushed.
“I knew I was going to be back,” he said.
The moment Fisher had waited for since the 2023 Peach Bowl arrived last Saturday. No one was more excited or grateful than him.
“Man, I felt so happy to be back,” he said. “The whole week I was just thinking about football, thinking about Beaver Stadium. It felt so good to be back playing with my brothers.
“I love football so much. I didn’t want to give it up.”
