2021 Football Roster
Jersey Number 92
Isaiah Gay
- Position:
- OLB
- Class:
- Senior
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 245
- Hometown:
- Nashville, N.C.
- High School:
- Northern Nash
2021 Senior
- Played in all 12 games with seven starts
- 48 tackles, 10.0 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, three pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries on the season
- Led Illinois with 10.0 TFLs and five quarterback hurries
- Tied for third on the team with 3.0 sacks
- Tied for eighth on the team with 48 tackles
- Tied for 22nd in the nation and third in the Big Ten in fumble recoveries (2)
- Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week 11/20/21 following career-high 5.5 TFLs and a sack at Iowa, the third-most TFLs in a game in Illinois history and the most ever by an Illini in a Big Ten game
- Six tackles and 1.5 sacks for 14 yards in Illinois' road win over No. 20 Minnesota 11/6/21
- Season high eight tackles vs. Rutgers 10/30/21
- Five tackles, 0.5 TFL and a pass breakup against Charlotte 10/2/21
- 1.5 TFLs, 0.5 sack and two tackles, against Purdue 9/25/21
2020 Senior
- Played in seven games and started three at defensive end
- 19 tackles, 3.0 TFLs including 2.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, two QB hurries on the season
2019 Junior
- Played in 11 games and started five at defensive end
- 27 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, three PBUs, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery on the season
- Career-high six tackles, career-high two pass breakups, his first career forced fumble, and 1.0 sacks in 38-10 win over Rutgers 11/2/2019
- Season-high three tackles (all solo) in Illinois’ 24-6 win at Purdue 10/26/19
- Fumble recovery vs. No. 6 Wisconsin 10/19/19 to help Illinois win 24-23 and complete one of the biggest upsets in Big Ten history
2018 Sophomore
- Played nine games with three starts at defensive end
- 20 tackles, 1.0 TFL and 1.0 sack on season
- Tied career high with four tackles against South Florida 9/15/18 and Penn State 9/21/18 in back-to-back games
- Career-high four solo tackles against South Florida 9/15/18
- Sack and three tackles in win over Western Illinois 9/8/18
2017 Freshman
- Played in all 12 games with two starts at defensive end
- 20 tackles (12 solo), 4.0 TFLs, 1.0 sack, two quarterback hurries on season
- Third-youngest player in FBS to start a game in 2017
- Made his Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State
- First career start in the second game of the season against Western Kentucky
- Blocked a field goal at South Florida
High School
- Played at Northern Nash for head coach Randy Raper
- 117 tackles, 25 TFLs, 17 sacks and three forced fumbles as a senior
- 2016 Big East Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year
- Two-time all-conference and three-time letterwinner
- Led Northern Nash to a 5-7 record and trip to the state playoffs as a senior
- Team captain
- Also played basketball and competed in track & field in HS
Personal
- Born Sept. 17, 1999
- Son of Derek and Chirley Gay
- Has two brothers and three sisters
- Picked Illinois because, “of the program fit – academically and in sports. Big Ten, big stage.”
- Listed Jadeveon Clowney as his favorite athlete because, “We have the same playing style, violent and fast.”
- Four-year honor roll student in high school
- Graduated with a bachelor's degree in learning and education studies in December 2021
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