Isaiah Pola-Mao Bio
Isaiah Pola-Mao (born June 30, 1999) is an American professional football safety for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Standing 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and weighing 204 lb (93 kg), he plays a physical style on the back end of the Raiders’ defense. He played college football for the USC Trojans and was signed by the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
After beginning his NFL career on the Raiders’ practice squad, Pola-Mao developed into a starting-caliber safety and earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in 2024. He re-signed with Las Vegas in February 2025, locking in his role with the franchise through 2027.
Early Life and Background
Isaiah Pola-Mao was born on June 30, 1999, in Phoenix, Arizona. He grew up in the Phoenix area and attended Mountain Pointe High School, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track. The Phoenix football scene gave him an early stage to showcase his coverage skills and physicality at the safety position.
At Mountain Pointe, Pola-Mao built a strong résumé as a defensive back. As a sophomore, he was named first-team USA Today All-Arizona after recording 35 tackles and seven interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. As a junior, he again earned first-team All-Arizona honors, posting 98 tackles and four interceptions on defense while adding 27 receptions on offense.
As a senior, Pola-Mao was recognized as a PrepStar All-American, a Max Preps first-team All-America selection, USA Today All-Arizona, and the All-East Valley Tribune Defensive Player of the Year. That season he recorded 100 tackles and 10 interceptions, returning three picks for scores, while adding 646 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 28 catches. In January 2017, he announced his commitment to the University of Southern California.
Path to American Football
Pola-Mao arrived at USC as part of the Trojans’ 2017 recruiting class and redshirted his first season after undergoing shoulder surgery during training camp. As a redshirt-freshman in 2018, he started the first two games before re-injuring the same shoulder and ending his season, finishing with eight tackles and a forced fumble in limited action.
In 2019, his redshirt-sophomore season, Pola-Mao became the starting USC free safety and recorded 73 tackles with a team-high four interceptions in 13 games. He picked off passes in three consecutive games, becoming the first USC player in more than 20 years to accomplish that feat, and was named USC co-Defensive Perimeter Player of the Year.
As a junior in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Pola-Mao started all six games, serving as a team captain and posting 40 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a team-leading five passes defended, a team-leading three fumbles recovered, and one interception. He returned for a senior season in 2021, starting 11 games with nine starts, finishing third on the team with 57 tackles. He closed his college career with 178 tackles, five interceptions, eight passes defended, four fumbles recovered, and one forced fumble across 32 games.
Isaiah Pola-Mao Career
Early Career (2022–2023)
After going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft, Isaiah Pola-Mao signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent. He was one of four undrafted rookies to make the Raiders’ final roster, but was waived on September 29 after appearing in two games. The Raiders re-signed him to the practice squad on October 1 and promoted him back to the active roster on November 9, giving him the runway to develop at the professional level.
Over his first two NFL seasons, Pola-Mao worked primarily in a rotational safety role while learning the Raiders’ defensive scheme. By 2023 he had earned a larger share of the defensive snaps and began to show the tackling reliability and ball skills that had defined his college profile.
Las Vegas Raiders Breakthrough (2024)
In 2024, Isaiah Pola-Mao stepped into a full-time starting role for the Las Vegas Raiders and produced the best season of his young career. He appeared in 17 games with 14 starts and logged 89 combined tackles, five pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and 1.0 sack. He also continued to add to his career interception total as a reliable center-field presence for the defense.
His signature moment came in Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, when he recorded nine tackles and two forced fumbles in a 19-14 Raiders victory, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. That performance cemented his status as a foundational piece of the Las Vegas secondary heading into the next phase of his career.
Las Vegas Raiders Era (2025–Present)
On February 24, 2025, Isaiah Pola-Mao re-signed with the Raiders on a two-year contract worth $8.45 million, running through the 2026 season. The new deal reflected his growth from a practice-squad player into a core defender for the franchise. His current contract is valued at $8,450,000 across the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Through his career with the Raiders, Pola-Mao has compiled 221 total tackles, 3.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 10 pass deflections, and 3 interceptions. Wearing jersey No. 20, he remains an active member of the Las Vegas roster and a key figure in the team’s defensive backfield.
Driving Style and Strengths
Isaiah Pola-Mao is known for his combination of size, range, and football instincts at the safety position. His length and physicality allow him to match up with tight ends and downhill run fits, while his ball-hawking instincts, refined during a productive USC career, translate into timely interceptions and pass breakups. Within the Raiders’ defensive structure, he has grown into a reliable tackler in the box and a disruptive presence in coverage.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the highlights of Isaiah Pola-Mao’s career are his AFC Defensive Player of the Week award after Week 16 of the 2024 season and his first career multi-interception game during his time at USC. He is also notable as the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu, connecting him to one of the most decorated safety legacies in NFL history.
Isaiah Pola-Mao Career Wins
Isaiah Pola-Mao’s career has been defined less by headline box-score victories and more by individual milestones and team contributions in the defensive backfield. From earning starting roles at both Mountain Pointe High School and USC to becoming a full-time starter for the Raiders, his progression has been steady and well documented.
Las Vegas Raiders Highlights
During the 2024 season, Isaiah Pola-Mao posted 89 combined tackles, five pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and 1.0 sack while starting 14 of 17 games for the Las Vegas Raiders. His Week 16 performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, featuring nine tackles and two forced fumbles in a 19-14 win, earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Other Wins & Performances
Earlier in his career, Isaiah Pola-Mao earned first-team USA Today All-Arizona honors twice at Mountain Pointe High School, was named a PrepStar All-American and Max Preps first-team All-America as a senior, and was a second-team All-Pac-12 Conference selection by the Associated Press in 2020. He was also named USC co-Defensive Perimeter Player of the Year in 2019 after leading the Trojans with four interceptions.
Isaiah Pola-Mao Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Isaiah Pola-Mao comes from a family with a clear football heritage. His father, Tracey Mao, played for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League, giving Isaiah an early connection to the professional game through indoor football in Arizona.
Personal Life
Beyond his immediate family, Isaiah Pola-Mao is the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu, one of the most decorated safeties in NFL history. That family connection ties his NFL journey to a broader Polynesian and Samoan football lineage that has produced numerous NFL players, particularly at the safety position.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 season, Isaiah Pola-Mao is firmly established as a starting safety for the Las Vegas Raiders after re-signing with the team on a two-year, $8.45 million contract in February 2025. The deal reflects the organization’s confidence in his development and his role as a long-term building block in the secondary.
His 2024 breakthrough, including 89 combined tackles and AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, sets a strong baseline for his expectations in 2025. With his physical tools, ball-hawking instincts, and growing familiarity with the Raiders’ defensive system, Pola-Mao is positioned to build on his career totals of 221 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 10 pass deflections.
For the Raiders, Pola-Mao represents continuity and upside on the back end of the defense as the team navigates its broader roster build. If he stays healthy and continues his upward trajectory, the 2025 campaign could be the season in which he firmly establishes himself among the league’s more reliable young safeties.