Notre Dame defensive end Isaiah Foskey declares for 2023 NFL Draft
The most decorated defensive end in Notre Dame football history is moving on. Senior vyper Isaiah Foskey announced his decision to forego a fifth season to enter the 2023 NFL Draft.
Foskey became the Fighting Irish’s all-time sack leader Nov. 19. It was a timely takeover of the record; senior day versus Boston College on a snowy afternoon in South Bend. He bypassed Justin Tuck’s mark of 24.5 with his takedown of Eagles quarterback Emmett Morehead on the final play of the first half. Foskey added 1.5 sacks against USC Nov. 26 to up his career total to 26.5.
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Foskey will skip Notre Dame’s invitation to the Gator Bowl, which is Dec. 30 against South Carolina. His Irish career is officially over.
It was a bit of a slow build for Foskey to become one of the all-time greats in program history. He did not play much defensively as a true freshman in 2019; just 54 snaps. None of his 26.5 sacks came in his first year with the program. As a sophomore in 2020, Foskey played 282 defensive snaps and recorded the first 4.5 sacks of his career. He laid the foundation for one of the most prolific two-year stretches a Notre Dame defensive end has ever had.
Foskey played 564 snaps across 13 games in 2021 and 563 snaps over 12 games in 2022. He had 11 sacks in both campaigns, which ranks third in Notre Dame single-season history. Only Tuck’s 13.5 in 2003 and Stephon Tuitt’s 12 in 2012 were better.
Foskey was a special teams staple in the last three seasons. He totaled 342 special teams snaps in that span. Punt return and field goal block were his calling cards in 2022. He became the first player in Notre Dame history to block two punts in the same game versus UNLV Oct. 22.
Pro Football Focus deemed Foskey the No. 27 overall draft-eligible prospect in early November. He checked in as the No. 8 edge rusher behind Alabama’s Will Anderson, Clemson’s Myles Murphy, Georgia’s Nolan Smith, Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson, Army’s Andre Carter II, Florida State’s Jared Verse and Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. had Foskey ranked as the No. 5 outside linebacker behind Anderson, Carter, Michigan’s Mike Morris and Smith in the Dec. 6 version of his 2023 NFL Draft big board. Foskey could hear his named called on the second day of the draft as a second- or third-round selection.
