On Aug. 29, Penn State’s football team went through “fast Friday” in an empty Beaver Stadium, a final practice before its first game day of the season.
Off to the side was defensive end Zuriah Fisher. Instead of going through drills with the rest of his position room, he was doing individualized exercises with a trainer as he battled to recover from a lengthy injury.
After running through the regimen smoothly, Fisher returned to the team hotel and found defensive line coach Deion Barnes, informing him that he felt ready to go for the team’s season opener against Nevada. The staff wasn’t quite ready to green light him, though, so he spent that Saturday on the bench.
“There was definitely some frustration, but it wasn’t as frustrated as last year, or the year before that, when I was out, because I knew I was going to come back this year,” Fisher said. “So I was definitely frustrated, but I knew I was going to be back.”
After going through practices the following week with his fellow defensive ends, the coaching staff felt confident enough to send Fisher out against Florida International, his first game action since playing in the 2023 Peach Bowl, 616 days earlier.
“Man, I felt so happy to be back,” Fisher said. “The whole week, I was just thinking about football, thinking about the stadium and everything, just everything about Beaver Stadium. So it felt really good to be back.”
Despite being in his sixth season of college football, Fisher has played sparingly due to multiple long-term injuries. After three seasons in a rotational role — including missing extended time in 2022 — Fisher was pinpointed as a potential breakout candidate in 2024, but another severe injury kept him sidelined.
While his injuries and a redshirt year allowed him six seasons of eligibility, Fisher needed the mental fortitude to overcome a second major injury and return to play. He called the recovery process “mentally and physically draining,” but two important factors kept him going.
“My mom, she was kind of sick for her whole life,” Fisher said. “I’ve seen her battle through a lot of pain, so I was just thinking, like, I’ve never seen my mom quit with nothing. Why would I quit? And also, it’s just, I love football… I don’t want to just give it up.”
Fisher, a self-described “mama’s boy,” witnessed his mother Tramane Fisher’s battle with diabetes until she passed away in July 2023, months before his last healthy season began.
Fisher recalled her strength and drew on it as inspiration as he worked to return to full health in time for the season. Though he didn’t take the field against the Wolf Pack, Fisher posted a strong performance against the Panthers. He didn’t appear on the stat sheet, but PFF credited him with a team-leading seven quarterback pressures on 15 pass-rush snaps.
“I thought he looked really explosive and quick off the ball,” head coach James Franklin said after the game. “I thought his get-off was excellent.”
As excited as Fisher is to be playing football again, his coaches and teammates are optimistic about the impact he can make for a defense with national championship aspirations.
“I had to talk with Fish before the game,” linebacker Tony Rojas said. “I told him I was happy, and I can’t wait to see what he does. He’s had a long journey, and we’re all happy for him to be back out there … Just being able to play with him, just knowing the plays he can make, we’re all excited.”
