Penn State freshman Josiah Zayas sets social media on fire with absurd on-handed INT vs. Michigan

Penn State true freshman defensive back Josiah Zayas started defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn from the first game of his career. He shot up the depth chart in fall camp, supplanting multiple veterans in a transfer-heavy secondary, and he’s lived up to the preseason buzz. 

Matched up with Michigan star wide receiver JJ Buchanan as the Wolverines attempted to mount a two-minute drill before the half in Ann Arbor, Zayas intercepted Michigan QB Bryce Underwood with a potential play of the year, hauling it in with one hand. 

Josiah Zayas may have made the play of the year

Underwood gave his best playmaker a shot against the true freshman, but it was Zayas who came out on top, thwarting Michigan’s opportunity to put points on the board before the end of the first half and preserving Penn State’s 3-0 lead, courtesy of a first-drive field goal. 

Penn State fans all over social media were fired up to see Zayas’s exploits. 

The interception was Zayas’s second of the season after he took back a Colton Joseph pass for a touchdown against Wisconsin in Week 4.

Zayas has played increased snaps at the nickel with Zion Tracy moving back to safety as Lynn and head coach Matt Campbell continue to shuffle an underperforming unit as they search for their first win in Big Ten play. 

Josiah Zayas is a foundational player at Penn State for Matt Campbell

A 3-3 start to Campbell’s tenure in Happy Valley is disappointing no matter how you slice it, but one of the most discouraging parts of Penn State entering Week 7 still winless in Big Ten play is how little foundational talent there is to latch onto with this roster. 

Campbell was hired after the early signing period, so his 16-player high school class in 2026 was largely comprised of former Iowa State signees, including Zayas, who joined him in Happy Valley. He and general manager Derek Hoodjer also had a short runway to the transfer portal and leaned heavily on their own roster, importing 24 former Cyclones. 

That poor offseason roster management, partially the fault of Campbell and Hoodjer and partially the circumstances athletic director Pat Kraft handed them, has left Penn State largely devoid of promising young talent. Wide receiver Koby Howard, who has been out since Week 3, is the closest thing to a building block on that side of the ball, and young corners Daryus Dixson and Jahmir Joseph are promising pieces on the defensive side. 

With how he’s played through the first half of his true freshman year, Zayas has to be on that list of foundational pieces for Penn State to build around. There’s no guarantee he’ll be a star, but the flashes of brilliance he’s shown as a true freshman have been tantalizing.

One Penn State fan wouldn't mind seeing Zayas go two ways to help jumpstart a struggling offenes.

You have to assume the post was in jest, but it emphasizes how little there is to be excited about and how firmly this fanbase will grasp onto a young talent like Zayas who seems to be everything this program needs as it braces for a multi-year rebuild.

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