Isaiah Pola-Mao

Isaiah Pola-Mao (born June 30, 1999) is an American professional football safety for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was signed by the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in .

Early life and education Pola-Mao was born on June 30, 1999, in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Mountain Pointe High School, where he played football, basketball, and track. As a sophomore in football, Pola-Mao was named first-team USA Today All-Arizona after recording 35 tackles and seven interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. In his junior year, he again earned first-team All-Arizona honors, posting 98 tackles and four interceptions on defense while making 27 pass receptions on offense. As a senior, Pola-Mao was named a PrepStar All-American, Max Preps first-team All-America, USA Today All-Arizona and the All-East Valley Tribune Defensive Player of the Year after recording 100 tackles and 10 interceptions. He returned three picks for scores and registered 646 receiving yards on 28 catches, scoring nine touchdowns offensively.

In January 2017, Pola-Mao announced his commitment to USC. He redshirted as a freshman after having season-ending shoulder surgery in training camp. As a redshirt-freshman the following year, he started the first two games before re-injuring his shoulder, ending his season. He recorded eight tackles and a forced fumble in the games in which he appeared. He started at free safety during the year, playing in 11 games, nine as a starter, and making 57 tackles, placing third on the team. He also made a pass deflection and recorded a fumble recovered. He was co-team captain during the season. Pola-Mao finished his college career with 178 tackles, five interceptions, eight passes defended, four fumbles recovered and one forced in 32 games played.

After going unselected in the 2022 NFL draft, Pola-Mao was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent. He was one of four undrafted rookies to make the Raiders' final roster. He was waived on September 29, after appearing in two games. He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 1. The Raiders promoted him to the active roster on November 9.

In Week 16 of the 2024 season, Pola-Mao recorded nine tackles and two forced fumbles in a 19-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In 17 games (14 starts) for the Raiders, he logged 5 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, 1.0 sack, and 89 combined tackles.

On February 24, 2025, Pola-Mao re-signed with the Raiders on a two-year, $8.45 million contract.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2022 LV 11 0 20 14 6 1.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2023 LV 16 0 20 14 6 1.0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2024 LV 17 14 89 57 32 1.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 5 2 0 0 0 0 2025 LV 17 17 92 58 34 0.0 4 2 0 0.0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0Career 61 31 221 143 78 3.0 9 3 0 0.0 0 0 10 2 0 0 0 0

Personal life Pola-Mao's father, Tracey Mao, played for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. Isaiah is the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu.