Isaiah Gilliam—A Name You’ll Hear Again

Iisaiah Gilliam is certainly a leader who’s made an impact—not only on his teammates, but on everyone he connects with. His support system has played a huge role in his development, helping him stay grounded and driven no matter the direction he takes.

Now, I didn’t want to get into specifics about where he may land just yet. Honestly, I wanted to be just as excited and surprised as everyone else—so I kept that part open during our interview. What stood out most to me was how intentional he is about the relationships he builds. The way he talks about his teammates—both in the locker room and on the field—reflects a sense of brotherhood that mirrors the kind of structure you’d expect from someone raised in a military family.

He mentioned that he’s a mix of a film watcher and a mentor—the type of player who studies the game and helps others around him get better. When it comes to who he models his game after, he brought up Saquon Barkley, Adrian Peterson, and Kobe, saying his style aligns most with Kobe’s mindset and mentality—a strong reflection of how he approaches the game.

He didn’t have the same early start as some of the other athletes we’ve covered; still, that hasn’t taken away from what he’s accomplished. Being recognized as SportsPlug’s Player of the Week three times speaks volumes about his consistency and work ethic. With an incredibly supportive father, Joshua Gilliam, who I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with, it’s been heartwarming to see that foundation of encouragement and discipline firsthand.

Iisaiah was one of the first athletes SP Dom—head analyst at SportsPlug—covered, and one of the earliest young talents I had the chance to highlight on my platform as well. It’s always been a joint effort between us, and it would be a disservice not to recognize the impact Iisaiah has made—both as an athlete and as someone who’s influenced how we approach storytelling in sports media at every level that we cover.

One thing is for certain—I and the team at Sportsplug cannot wait to see where he takes his talent at the collegiate level.