BYU COUGARS
BYU DB Isaiah Herron Announces Retirement From Football
PROVO, Utah – BYU defensive back Isaiah Herron made it official on Monday. He’s retiring from the game of football.
In a video for his Instagram page, Herron wrote, “THANK YOU @byufootball COUGERNATION, MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND SUPPORTERS…..ITS BEEN ONE HELL OF A RIDE. I HAVE DECIDED TO RETIRE FROM FOOTBALL AND PURSUE OTHER INTEREST…TIME FOR A NEW CHAPTER IN MY LIFE. GO COUGS!!”
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Word came out on Herron’s retirement last week at BYU football Media Day. Herron, who has been part of BYU’s program since 2018, was noticeably absent from the roster and depth chart.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said Herron would medically retire but remain a student at the faith-based institution.
“Isaiah Herron will retire from football, and he will finish his degree at BYU. … We’ll take care of him and help him finish his degree,” said coach Kalani Sitake last week. “I am proud of him that he will be able to finish his academics.”
A 6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect out of Las Vegas in the 2018 recruiting class, Herron is the third BYU defensive back to retire this off-season medically. The other two were Keenan Ellis and Shamon Willis.
To make up for those personnel losses, BYU added seven newcomers at cornerback for the 2022 roster. Which includes Vanderbilt’s Gabe Jeudy-Lally and JUCO transfer Mory Bamba.
Isaiah Herron started in 10 games during his BYU career
During his four years with the BYU football program, Herron had 10 starts. Last season, he was a starting cornerback during BYU’s wins over Pac-12 Champion Utah and Arizona State. But, like many players on BYU’s defense last year, Herron dealt with his share of undisclosed injuries.
During the 2020 offseason, amid racial unrest in America after the killing of George Floyd, Herron entered the Transfer Portal intending to enroll at an HBCU (Historically Black College and University). Instead, he ended up pulling his name out of the portal and staying at BYU.
“I realized I can have an impact in this state by opening eyes here and help other African Americans in Utah because of the small amount of diversity that’s here,” Herron said in a since-deleted Instagram post back in June 2020.
Herron appeared in 34 games at BYU through his four seasons, recording 48 tackles and nine pass breakups.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
