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FAMU star Isaiah Land enjoying NFL experience, on mission to showcase talent on highest level
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- FAMU star Isaiah Land enjoying NFL experience, on mission to showcase talent on highest level
Isaiah Land is about to embark on his next chapter of football.
The 2021 Buck Buchanan Award Winner , All-American selection, and former Florida A&M defensive star is entering his first NFL Training Camp with the Dallas Cowboys .
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The Cowboys will hold their training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields in Oxnard, California, beginning on Monday, July 24.
Land, who signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in April, has spent the last three months positioning himself to make the 53-man roster by participating in rookie minicamp and organized team activities (OTA's).
Former Florida A&M Rattlers linebacker Isaiah Land (53) participates in the Dallas Cowboys 2023 rookie minicamp at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas
"It's been a big transition coming from a small school like FAMU," Land said in a phone interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. "No one is going to call or run behind you to make sure you're at your meetings ― you have to be early and you have to be there. You have to know your schedule and know your routine for the day.
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"We have all the resources anything that I may need in the building. We have three or four strength coaches for us to get some work in.
"It's been fun and what I always thought it would be."
Following training camp, the Cowboys will play three preseason games, beginning on Aug. 12 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
That will be an opportunity for Land and his teammates to test their offseason training in a live game setting under the bright lights.
"When you get to this level, everyone's been working for this their whole life," Land, 23, said. "In college, some people might just show up whenever coach say we have workouts. But in the NFL, everyone gets their extra work at some point in the day and be on top of what they have to do.
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"There's no more school involved. This is our school now. You're not going to come across too many people that don't want to put the work in everyday or have their routine set up."
Isaiah Land goes undrafted after award-winning career, but the FAMU standout finds perfect situation
Isaiah Land (31) celebrates after making a sack during a game between and Alabama State at Bragg Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021.
Land, born in Buffalo, turned in a storied career while playing at FAMU from 2018-2022 out of Grayson High School near Atlanta.
He was crowned the best defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) after leading the nation in tackles for loss (25.5) and sacks (19), also garnering an Associated Press (AP) All-American selection in 2021.
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In 2022, Land finished the season with 23 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and eight sacks in eight games, earning an All-SWAC First Team nod before forgoing his final year of eligibility to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft .
His output landed him an invite to the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine .
But despite a productive college career, Land still went unpicked in the draft. Furthermore, only one HBCU prospect was selected, Jackson State cornerback Isaiah Bolden , who previously played at Florida State .
"Before the draft, a lot of teams told me that I wouldn't make out of the sixth round," Land reflected.
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"The Cowboys called me during the draft and told me if I don't get picked up, they want me here. And that really sat with me because Cowboys didn't have a reason to draft me or did they tell me that they were going to draft me. So, I kind of trusted them when they said they wanted to develop me.
"Teams were calling me in the sixth round, so I was thinking I was about to get drafted. But they had no more picks and wanted to sign me. Before the draft was over, I already had my mind made up that I would go do Dallas because I knew I would feel valued."
Here's what Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn said about Isaiah Land
Dallas was the perfect opportunity for Land.
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Especially as he converted from a defensive end to a linebacker. This allows him to learn from two-time All-Pro selection linebacker Micah Parsons , who also plays the edge rusher spot like Land did at FAMU.
"All I watched was Micah and the Cowboys' upfront defensive lineman during my junior and senior year," Land said. "We have Dante Fowler . Dorace Armstrong . Sam Williams . Micah Parsons . DeMarcus Lawrence . It was the best fit for me to learn how to get better and having good examples in front of me.
"Learning linebacker has really opened up my football knowledge since college. You have to know the whole defensive scheme at inside linebacker because you're a part of the run fit and pass coverage."
Land currently measures at 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds. He wants to jump to 245 pounds by the end of training camp to help his linebacker and edge rushing versatility.
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"I want to be fast enough to play inside linebacker, but strong enough to play off the edge," Land said of his current size.
Isaiah Land aiming to be the next FAMU legend to make a career with the Dallas Cowboys
Former Florida A&M football standouts and current Dallas Cowboys players Markquese Bell (left) and Isaiah Land (right) poses for a photo at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas
'Bullet' Bob Hayes . Nate Newton . Markquese Bell . Derrick Gainer . Tim Daniel . David Lucas .
Land is the latest Rattler to join the FAMU-to-Cowboys pipeline.
And it helps even more that Land is there with his Dark Cloud Defense co-star Bell, who made the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent signee last August.
"[Bell] called me three days before the draft and told me that the coaches liked me and wanted to develop me," Land said of his two-time teammate. "They don't look at Bell like he came from FAMU. They look at him like he's a ball player just like everybody else.
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"Bell and I don't like people blowing smoke. We like people to cut it straight and tell us what we need to work on instead of sugarcoating.
"I trusted the Cowboys because they had love for Bell."
Land is wearing No. 53 in camp as a constant reminder of what his end goal ― making the Cowboys' 53-man roster to fully complete his lifelong dream of chasing the NFL.
And being an HBCU product has him playing with an extra edge to prove he belongs.
"It means a lot to me," Land said. "It feels like college. When I won the Buck Buchanan, I'd look myself up online and still not even be a top 50 defensive player in the country.
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"It tells me that a lot of people still don't believe in me. But all I needed was FAMU to believe it me. Now, all I have is the Dallas Cowboys who believe in me. So, I'm going to make it my job to show them why I belong here while giving my all since they gave me a shot and never beat around the bush.
"It gives me that chip on my shoulder all over again."
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee .
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: Isaiah Land ready for next chapter of career, Cowboys camp
