2025 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Isaac Garside, WR, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

• Name: Isaac Garside
• Position: WR
• College: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 205 lbs.
• X (Twitter): @GarsideIsaac
• Instagram: @isaacgarside

What made you decide you wanted to be a football player?

From as early I can remember, football was all I knew. I was always playing football or watching football with my dad and grandma. My first Christmas that I remember, I got a present of all of these different kinds of sports equipment. Basketballs, baseballs, soccer, and football. The only thing I used out of that present was the football. There was a different kind of attraction from early on that I had for football, and it’s never faded. For as long as I could remember, football is what I’ve wanted to do.

What are your favorite moments from your football life?

My favorite memories from football could easily be the touchdowns and stats that I have had throughout my entire career. My favorite part about football for me is 1. Being around a team and a group of guys that want the same thing I want and 2. Winning. My favorite memories from football have always been putting in the work throughout the offseason, preparing for the season in fall camp, and doing all the work needed to win a game. The memories of preparing to win and be the best version of myself on and off the field was the best memories football has given me.

What are you looking to achieve as a football player going forward?

I am looking to become the best football player that I can be. I believe that I am a versatile athlete that can do a lot on the field as well as off the field. I want to help win games at a high level of football. I am always willing to do the work to become the best version of myself and that’s what I want to do. I want to prepare as hard as possible and put myself in a position to help a team win. I want to be the best version of myself that I can be within the game of football.

If you could hang out with any football player past or present for a day, who and why?

I would love to get to hang out with CeeDee Lamb. He’s one of my favorite wide receivers in the NFL and he plays for my favorite team. I love how versatile he is as well. He plays multiple positions within the Cowboy’s offense whether that is slot or single backside or split out wide, he can do it all and at an extremely high level. I feel like he’s a really chill guy that I could learn a lot from as well as just be one of the guys around.

Which one of your family members inspires you the most and why?

My grandma is my inspiration. She was my biggest fan and always pushed me in football. She loved football as much as I do, and she dreamed of watching me play football on television. Unfortunately, she passed away shortly after my freshman year of football which I had ended early because I quit. Her passing away inspired me to get back into football and play for her because that’s what brought her and I together. When I’m on the field, I play with her in my heart, and she gives me an edge to never quit and always empty my tank on every play and every game. She makes me stronger physically and mentally and I will do everything I can to continue playing to game of football to keep making her proud.

What is your favorite offensive scheme and why?

I love spread and pro style offenses. I enjoy those offenses because of what I’ve seen been done within those styles at Eau Claire. Our offensive coordinator at Eau Claire was extremely creative with our offense and it gave me and other players opportunities to go and be athletes. You can do a lot within those styles of offense and it’s really fun to play with that much creativity but also having the simplicity within the game. You can create 10-14 play drives by establishing the run and utilizing quick game as well as getting access or alert throws down field with play actions shots mixed it.

What should we know about Isaac Garside the person?

Isaac Garside the person is someone that is always going to work towards being the best version of themselves. I wasn’t always the way I am today and dealt with a lot of adversity before I had gotten to Eau Claire and I figured out a way to move forward. I am always trying to help others and bring happiness to others. I want to make a difference in this world one way or another and I’ll forever be working to make a difference within others lives and the communities I get the opportunities to be apart of. I want to be a spark of inspiration for kids that might have gone through the things that I did and show them that no matter what you go through or the cards that you’re dealt, you can still achieve all the dreams you have as long as you work for it.

What stands out about your film the most?

I play with a relentless amount of passion and physicality. I will always fight for that one extra yard and block as hard as I can to ensure my teammates can get that extra yard as well. I make contested catches and can create big plays through broken tackles. I am extremely consistent with catching passes and executing my job. I also am extremely passionate about run blocking. My WR coach at Eau Claire put a large emphasis on run blocking from the WR position and I took that and did all that I could to be the best blocking WR in the nation. You will see me lined up as TE for blocking assignments or blocking for screens out in the open field. You will always see me touchdown blocking on backsides of plays. I will always do what I can every play to make the ball better whether I have the ball or not.

How do you handle challenges both in life and on the football field?

I take challenges head on. In life, I have battled through a lot of adversity and instead of rolling over and saying why me, I have always found a way to utilize it to drive me forward. I find ways to create negative situations into positives for myself and everyone around me. I will never give up on myself or others when challenges arise. I think that’s something I bring to a team or organization that no matter what is happening on a team, I can find a way to create positivity and keep people focused on the goals of the organization. When I lost our entire coaching staff after my sophomore year of college, I helped keep the entire team focused on ourselves and becoming better every day. I am a natural leader, and I love being a leader and building people stronger through adversity.

What would a team get in a player like you?

A team would get a leader, hard worker, physical, and passionate football player. I am extremely dedicated and disciplined to becoming the best version of myself and I push others to be the best they can be. I would give my everything to an organization that believed in me enough to let me play for them. Anytime I get an opportunity to play for a team, I give my everything to that team and everyone involved. Whether that is with practices, games, film, community work, etc., my everything will be given to those things in order to make a different on and off the field.

What do you love the most about the game of football?

I love winning and I love to hard work it takes to prepare at a high level. I also love getting to be around guys that want to push you to be the best you can be every day. A lot of people say they hate to lose, and I hate losing as much as the next guy but, I love winning for than everything and I’m willing to do everything in order to win. I love pushing my body and my mind to limits it’s never been because I know that is what it is going to take to be the best. I also love building connections with the guys and growing with them. Being able to share the field with the guys and battle for a similar goal is something I’ve been blessed to do for a long time and hope to get to continue doing it for a long time. There is nothing better than the sport of football and it is my everything. There isn’t anything about the game that I don’t love. The conditioning, mental strain, physical strain, hard coaching, all of it is why I love the game of football. It builds so much out of people, and I am blessed and thankful to be able to play this game.

Who is the most underrated player you’ve played with and why?

Nick Kudick was one of the most underrated players I’ve played with. He was a WR for Eau Claire my freshman and sophomore year and he was an amazing player. He had extremely good hands and utilized tempo and pace within his routes so well that he didn’t need to be the fastest or the strongest to succeed. He had some of the best catches I’ve seen in game, and he taught me a lot those first two seasons we played together. He never got the respect within the conference that he should have gotten, and I wish he had. He was an amazing teammate to me and I’m glad that him and I are still close today.