BeaversEdge Top 25 for 2019: No. 12 Isaiah Dunn
In the months of June and July, BeaversEdge.com will be counting down the top 25 Oregon State football players on the 2019 roster.
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No. 23 Isaiah Dunn
Bio
6-foot, 183-pounds
Cornerback
Junior
Antioch, Calif.
Antioch HS
Career Quick Hits
- Has played in 14 games, making 10 starts.
- Tallied 60 tackles and seven pass breakups
- 2018 Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention
2018 stats
- Played in seven games, making five starts
- Totaled 32 tackles, with one for a loss, and six pass breakups
- Finished with a season-best eight tackles against California
- Deflected two passes apiece versus USC and at Stanford
- Finished with six tackles apiece at Washington and versus Oregon
- Had a TFL and a pass breakup against the Huskies
2018 Recap
While he didn’t make his first appearance of the season until week three against Nevada, Dunn showed that he’s more than capable of being the leader and playmaker the Beavers need in the secondary.
He’s had some issues staying on the field as he’s only appeared in 14 of the 24 possible games in his college career, but there’s no doubt that the Beavers simply need him healthy, on the field, and productive to improve the inconsistent secondary play.
Despite being dinged up for most of the 2018 season, he still managed to finish out the season strong, posting six-tackle games against Washington and Oregon.
Per Pro Football Focus, Dunn's best game of the season was against Stanford, as he had a single game grade of 69.7. Dunn recorded five tackles and two pass break ups against the Cardinal. He was targeted six times and three of those passes were completed for just 21 yards.
2019 Outlook
If Dunn can avoid the injury bug and stay healthy in 2019, he could have a very productive season from the cornerback spot.
Quite simply, he just needs to stay on the field for an entire season to be able to settle into a consistent rhythm.
Oregon State is in need of one, two, or perhaps three cornerbacks to step up and be lockdown defenders this season, and if Dunn is able to stay on the field, he’ll likely have his best season as a Beaver.
With both he and Kaleb Hayes expected to be the starting cornerbacks, there’s going to be a lot asked of him early in the season.
With the Beavers facing Oklahoma State’s pass-happy offense in week one, Oregon State’s corners will need to be on their A game, and given that Dunn is one of the Beavers most talented and experienced corners, he’ll have the opportunity to make a statement right away.
The Beavers figure to take a step forward across the board defensively in the second year of the Tim Tibesar scheme thanks to increased knowledge and more depth, but Dunn is a guy who could be big-time for the Beavers this season.
