2021 USC Football Roster
Roster
Isaiah Pola-Mao
- Position:
- Safety
- Height:
- 6-4
- Weight:
- 205
- Class:
- Redshirt Senior
- Hometown:
- Phoenix, AZ
- High School:
- Mountain Pointe HS
CAREER: He has 178 tackles, including 9 for losses of 41 yards (with 1.5 sacks for minus 13 yards), 5 interceptions, 8 deflections, 4 fumble recoveries and 1 forced fumble in his career. He has appeared in 32 games in his career, with 29 starts.
2021: The rangy Pola-Mao, USC’s most experienced defensive back, started for his third season at free safety as a senior in 2021. Overall in 2021 while appearing in 11 games (all but San Jose State) and starting 9 times (all but San Jose State, Arizona State and UCLA), he had 57 tackles (third on USC), including 1 for a 1-yard loss, a fumble recovery and a deflection. He missed the San Jose State game for health and safety reasons. He was a USC co- captain.
He had 4 tackles against Stanford and Washington State, then a game-high 11 tackles against Oregon State. He had 5 tackles and a deflection at Colorado, 4 tackles against Utah, 5 tackles at Notre Dame, 2 tackles and a fumble recovery versus Arizona, 3 tackles at Arizona State, 5 tackles (1 for a loss) versus UCLA, 4 tackles against BYU and a game-high 10 tackles at California.
2020: Pola-Mao started for his second season at free safety as a junior in 2020 and was effective. Overall in 2020 while starting all 6 games, he had 40 tackles (third on USC), including 2.5 for losses of 15 yards, plus a team-high 5 deflections, a team-high 3 fumble recoveries and an interception. He was third nationally in fumbles recovered (3, first in Pac-12). His 3 fumble recoveries were the most by a Trojan since Jurrell Casey had 3 in 2009. He made 2020 All-Pac-12 honorable mention, AP All-Pac-12 second team and Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 third team. He was a USC captain.
He had 7 tackles (1 for loss), 2 deflections and 1 fumble recovery against Arizona State, then 5 tackles at Arizona. He had 6 tackles, a fumble recovery and a deflection at Utah, then 3 tackles and a deflection against Washington State. He had 8 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a deflection at UCLA and 10 tackles (1.5 for loss) against Oregon.
2019: Pola-Mao started at free safety role as a sophomore in 2019. Overall in 2019 while appearing in all 13 games and starting 12 (all but Arizona State), he had 73 tackles, including 5.5 for losses of 25 yards (with 1.5 sacks for minus 13 yards), plus a team-high 4 interceptions and 2 deflections. With an interception in 3 consecutive games in 2019 (Oregon, Arizona State, California), Pola-Mao is the first Trojan to do so since Ifeanyi Ohalete in 1998. He was USC’s Co-Defensive Perimeter Player of the Year. He was limited in 2019 spring practice while recuperating from a 2018 shoulder injury.
Against Fresno State, he had 5 tackles (with a sack) and had an endzone interception as the Bulldogs were driving for a potential tying score late in the game. He had 4 tackles against Stanford, 8 tackles at BYU, 8 tackles (1 for a loss) against Utah and 4 tackles at Washington. He had 7 tackles (1 for a loss) at Notre Dame, 7 tackles (0.5 sack) and a deflection against Arizona and 6 tackles at Colorado. He had a tackle for loss and an interception that he returned 14 yards against Oregon before being ejected for targeting. He had 4 tackles and a goal-line interception at Arizona State after sitting out the first half because of a targeting penalty in the previous game, 2 tackles and returned an interception 24 yards at California, 12 tackles and a deflection against UCLA and 5 tackles (1 for a loss) against Iowa.
2018: Pola-Mao, coming off a shoulder injury in 2017, started USC’s first 2 games (UNLV, Stanford) at strong safety as a redshirt freshman in 2018, but dislocated his left shoulder in the game’s first series at Stanford and had season-ending surgery. Overall in 2018 while starting both games in which he appeared, he had 8 tackles and forced a fumble. He had a team-best 7 tackles and forced a fumble on the game’s opening play that USC recovered against UNLV, then had a tackle at Stanford.
2017: Pola-Mao redshirted as a first-year freshman safety in 2017 after having season-ending shoulder surgery in 2017 fall camp.
HIGH SCHOOL: He made 2016 Prep Star All-American, Max Preps All-American first team, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, Orange County Register Fab 15 second team, USA Today All-Arizona first team and All-East Valley Tribune Defensive Player of the Year as a senior safety and wide receiver at Mountain Pointe High in Phoenix (Ariz.). In 2016, he had 100 tackles, 10 interceptions (3 for TDs), 18 deflections and 2 forced fumbles on defense and 28 receptions for 646 yards (23.1 avg) with 9 TDs on offense.
As a junior in 2015, he made USA Today All-Arizona first team as he had 98 tackles, 4 interceptions, 3 deflections and 1 forced fumble, plus 27 receptions for 435 yards (16.1 avg) with 5 TDs.
As a 2013 sophomore, he made USA Today All-Arizona first team as he had 35 tackles, 7 interceptions (2 for TDs) and 1 forced fumble and caught 3 passes for 46 yards (15.3 avg) with 2 TDs.
He also was on Mountain Pointe’s basketball and track (placing fourth in the long jump in a personal-best 22-7.25 at the 2016 Division I state championship and also competing in the sprints, hurdles and high jump) teams.
PERSONAL: He is a non-governmental organizations and social change major at USC. His father, Tracey, played football at San Diego State (1988-90, 1992, where he was the 1992 team captain and Most Inspirational Player) and with the Arena League’s Arizona Rattlers (1994-96). His brother, Matthew, is a sophomore defensive lineman at Arizona State who previously was at Kansas State (2019-20). His uncle is former USC 2-time All-American safety Troy Polamalu (1999-2002), who played with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2003-14, winning 2 Super Bowls, making 8 Pro Bowls and being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame). His great uncle is former USC fullback (1982-85) and assistant coach (2000-03, 2010-12) Kennedy Polamalu, now an assistant with the Minnesota Vikings.
