PROVO — Less than a week after a report surfaced that BYU’s Isaiah Herron had entered the transfer portal, the promising sophomore cornerback announced on Instagram Wednesday that he will return to BYU.
Herron, 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, explained that due to the current climate in America surrounding racial injustice, he felt a desire to attend a historically Black college to help combat these injustices. Herron grew up in the Atlanta area, but went to high school in Las Vegas.
On the same day last week that he entered the transfer portal, several of Herron’s teammates mentioned on their social media accounts that he wanted to transfer to an HBCU.
“With a little more time to think I have made the decision to stay here at BYU. I realized I can have an impact in this state by opening eyes here and help other African Americans in Utah because of the small amount of diversity that’s here. I’m looking forward to using my opportunities here to make a positive impact,” Herron wrote.
African Americans make up less than 2% of Utah’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“With a little more time to think I have made the decision to stay here at BYU. I realized I can have an impact in this state by opening eyes here and help other African Americans in Utah because of the small amount of diversity that’s here. I’m looking forward to using my opportunities here to make a positive impact.” — BYU cornerback Isaiah Herron
Herron started in seven games last year as a redshirt freshman and made 22 tackles and two pass breakups. He totaled a season-best five tackles in BYU’s overtime win over No. 24 USC.
“I want to start off by saying thank you to all the historically black colleges and universities willing to give me an opportunity after I put my name in the transfer portal,” he wrote. “I also want to thank BYU, from the entire football staff to the president (Kevin J. Worthen). I want to make it clear that my intentions to leave were not because of BYU. This place has been nothing but great to me by providing opportunities and relationships that I’m grateful to have.”
While some coaches across the country, including Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, have refused to allow players back on their team once they have entered the portal, BYU coach Kalani Sitake has a different philosophy. Linebacker-turned-fullback Johnny “Ku-J” Tapusoa and defensive back Beau Tanner are among players who returned, and Tanner played an integral role on last year’s team before graduating.
“Everyone who has left here and entered the portal, it has always been a positive conversation,” Sitake said in March when defensive end Devin Kaufusi entered the portal. “If they don’t want to be here, then it is not going to work. It doesn’t mean it has to be a negative thing. I care about them, and if I care about them, then I would like to see them have success somewhere else.”
Kaufusi ended up transferring to Utah; fellow defensive end Austin Chambers, a graduate-transfer, moved on to Maine, while linebacker Alex Miskela, who announced June 1 he was in the portal, has not announced his next destination.
Herron’s decision to stay is welcome news for the Cougars, and he seemed to suggest that some members of BYU’s administration had a hand in persuading him to stay.
He is expected to compete with D’Angelo Mandell, a junior from San Diego, for the starting right cornerback position in 2020. The probable starter at left corner is senior Chris Wilcox; others in the mix to start at CB include junior Keenan Ellis, Weber State transfer Shamon Willis and recently returned missionary Jaylon Vickers.
Cornerbacks joining the program this summer include Micah Harper of Chandler, Arizona, and Jacques Wilson, a transfer from West Los Angeles (California) College.