Under The Shell: Maryland football OL Isaiah Wright

Ahmed Ghafir
11 hours ago
4 min read

Maryland’s offensive line has long been viewed as one of the program’s biggest weaknesses. But Isaiah Wright, a veteran transfer who returned this season after an Achilles injury, is helping change that narrative.

The Terps are 2-0 and Wright has quickly emerged as a leader up front, protecting freshman quarterback Malik Washington and setting the tone for the unit. Under the Shell sat down with Wright to talk about his recovery process, his role in reshaping the offensive line and the legacy he hopes to leave at Maryland.

Q: You're off to a 2-0 start, you've been playing really well and have been the stalwart of Maryland's offensive line early on in the season. Can you just kind of tell us through the first two games what it's been like blocking for Malik Washington and has the offense met what your expectations were?

A: Malik is a great guy. He's a team oriented person, really dedicated to the game. So it's easy wanting to protect him on and off the field. He's an example of what a man and for a young guy, what a man should be and what a collegiate football athlete should be as well. So it's a privilege and I'm lucky to have him as a quarterback. As an offense, I think that we're performing really well.

The beautiful thing about it is we still have a lot of room to grow. So I think as the season goes on, we're just gonna get better and better and execute even better. know, sky's the limit when it comes to this offense.

Q: As someone like yourself who spent many years in college football and now made a return after injury, what is your favorite part about being a leader on the offensive side?

A: I think just being there for my teammates, know, with anything that's going on, they could come to me when it comes to football, school, things that are happening at home, just overall tips and wisdom for anything in life, you know, because I've been there age, because we got all, we got really young guys and then we got some guys who are my age as well. So just being there and just, you know, having that team around you. It's a great thing and that camaraderie is something that you can't really reflect when football is over. So I don't take it for granted.

Q: You suffered the injury last year, a torn Achilles. I read that it was in practice. You kind of just took a misstep. Take us through that injury. I've heard that just through talking to athletes, it doesn't actually really hurt as much as what you would expect, but you kind of just paint the picture for the injury and then when you knew that it was as serious as it ended up being.

A: We were doing a simple conditioning exercise that I've done a million times. And like you said, I took a wrong, a bad step, not even a bad step, I took a regular step and the tendon just went. And I knew right away, like you said, it didn't really hurt, but you could feel the pop, you know what saying? And when you try to take another step, you could feel, you know, something's off. So I knew it was pretty serious when it initially happened.

And then obviously we did the MRIs and all that kind of stuff later during the day that kind of confirmed what it was. yeah, it was very unfortunate. I just got to the university and I was really excited for the year that was to come. But things happen and thankfully I have a great support system and everybody in the building kind of had my back. So it's been a long road, but I'm happy to be back.

Q: You said your mom was a big impact in your life, can you just talk about your relationship with her and why she was able to kind of make such a profound impact on you, other than just being your mom, which obviously is a big reason.

A: I think she was just a great example of perseverance and determination. I think that's where I get my work ethic from and my stubbornness from, which is her just seeing her throughout whatever she was going through, just her ability to bounce back and to get the job done. You know what I'm saying? So I have so much respect and love for her and appreciation to have someone like that as my mom.

Q: Maryland's offensive line in recent years has, it's no secret that has been a weak point of the program. There were a lot of critiques during the Taulia days, and dating back even before that. How much did you kind of consider what the program was and how much do you kind of take it upon yourself to show that the unit is in a weak spot, this season and, and just kind of overall within the program.

A: I think right after the season ended, Coach talked about elevating, and he did what he had to do to elevate the program. As players, it was important for us to take ownership of what we could do. When Coach Pep came in and we had a new offense, it was time to really get into the playbook. We had a lot of meetings, extra lifts and spent time outside of football just to get closer as a unit.

I think having our performance reflect the work we put in throughout the offseason was really important to us. We still have room to grow and become even tighter as the season goes on. For everyone in the unit, we want to represent the team, ourselves and our families the best way we can — and that means constantly improving.

As an offensive lineman and as a unit, you want to be the backbone of the team, so you do the things you need to do day by day. I’m thankful for the guys in that room because the dedication they bring every day is amazing. No matter what you ask them to do, they’re ready to work and they’re not afraid of any challenge. We’ve got a lot of brave, mature, dedicated guys in that offensive line room, and the whole team is lucky to have them.

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