If you were watching the NFL Scouting Combine last month, you probably caught the name Isaac Guerendo, even if you didn’t know it prior to his blazing 4.33 40 time, which led the running back group. But it wasn’t a surprise to the former track star, who found success in high school both on and off the football field. Sitting down with Guerendo at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas, I got to hear about his journey to the NFL.
As Guerendo explained, growing up in Indiana he was a track guy from a young age.
“I started track in fourth grade,” he said. “Track and football were my big two sports, the ones I really grew passionate about. Junior year I won long jump in state and then I placed in the other events.”
As a senior in high school, he added to his awards, winning the 100m at the state level and taking second in the long jump and the 200m. He believes he could have done even better if the schedule had allowed.
“Indiana, they need to get it fixed. They have a one-day state meet, so it’s like if you go in there and you do multiple events, you’re doing 100, 100 prelims, 200 prelims, 200 finals, 4×1, and then prelims and finals for long jump,” Guerendo said. “So it’s definitely a lot on the legs there.”
With that level of success, Guerendo had a big decision whether to pursue football over track. It came down to passion. After attending some football camps, there was something about the sport that instinctively just felt right for him. Although he wasn’t heavily recruited, he did have offers. His top two choices were Purdue and Wisconsin. Purdue was closer to home, but he opted for the chance to develop his game at Wisconsin, in part based on the success he saw former Badgers stars J.J. Watt and T.J. Watt achieve.
“Wisconsin, they weren’t known for having a bunch of four and five-star guys. They had a lot of three-stars, maybe a lot of walk-ons, but they were still able to win games,” Guerendo said. “So, starting out, I was thinking this would be a place that I could go and get developed because clearly, they have experience doing that.”
Guerendo spent five years at Wisconsin, including a redshirt freshman year. He garnered Academic All-Big Ten honors four years in a row from 2019-2022 but struggled to find the same success on the field, in part due to a season-ending injury four weeks into the 2021 season. The offense used a three-man backfield rotation. Good for the team, less so for Guerendo.
He transferred to Louisville for his final year of eligibility and a chance to showcase his ability. His choice was partly due to coaching familiarity. Brothers Jeff and Brian Brohm, who had been the Purdue head coach and offensive coordinator, respectively, when Guerendo was in his recruiting process, had both moved to those positions at Louisville for the 2023 season. The offensive scheme at Louisville was attractive as well.
“The transition to me [was moving] from more of a one-dimensional offense,” Guerendo said. “Wisconsin was really known for running the ball a lot, especially when I was there. So they run the ball 40 plus times a game, but switching to a more dynamic offense, being able to showcase pass protection, catching the ball out of backfield and running the ball…I thought it was important, especially making the transition to the next level. So, that’s really what went into my decision.”
It was move that clearly paid off. His snap count jumped from 253 his final year at Wisconsin to 475 at Louisville, with 328 of those lined up in the backfield. Guerendo logged 132 rushes for 810 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt. The other numbers worth noting are his average yards after contact per attempt (4.11) and missed tackles forced after a rush (31). He also showed his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, recording 22 catches on 24 targets for 234 yards and a touchdown.
Guerendo made his presence known even when he wasn’t getting the ball. Other than a rough outing against Pitt, he was solid in pass protection. Even in a three-man rotation at Wisconsin, it was Guerendo who was most often on the field on third down. At Louisville, that prior experience prepared him for blitz pickup and blocking for his quarterback.
Once he gets the handoff from his quarterback, Guerendo is able to make defenders miss. In his last season, he was credited with forcing 31 missed tackles. He says that his combination of being a bigger back with decent footwork helps. He also prides himself on being more than just a power back, able to make cuts, force the defender to take a bad angle and take advantage of open grass.
You can see that in action below. He made the point that no player at the Shrine Bowl is looking to injure an opponent, and he had to stop himself from throwing a stiff arm at the end of this run during practice:
Heading into the Combine, his goal was to exceed expectations in the 40-yard dash, and that mission was accomplished. No longer under the radar, Guerendo has the attention of scouts. He met with the Steelers during his Shrine Bowl week and again informally at the Combine.
When it comes to the draft, Guerendo has no idea when he might hear his name called. His agent has advised him that anything can happen and the range of where he could get picked is wide. But as any NFL player knows, it only takes one team.
To learn more, you can read his Steelers Depot draft scouting profile by Steven Pavelka.
