Hudsonville native Isaac TeSlaa’s journey to professional football was one of the most heartwarming stories of the 2025 NFL season. TeSlaa starred in high school at Unity Christian but was lightly recruited by major college programs. He became one of Division II college football’s biggest stars while at Hillsdale before transferring to the University of Arkansas, where he shone brightly in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In April 2025, the Detroit Lions, TeSlaa’s favorite team, selected him in the third round of the NFL Draft. He showed the Lions how much he wanted to play for them by wearing the Lions jersey he received one year for Christmas to his pre-draft interview with the team. Isaac impressed in his rookie year, scoring six touchdowns despite starting just three games.
Isaac’s story is rooted in West Michigan, where his parents Mark and Stephanie raised their four children. Mark teaches and coaches football and baseball at Unity Christian. Isaac was a frequent presence at Unity sporting events and practices from his earliest years.
Stephanie recalls games being a fixture of their home life—board games, card games, and sports. The family attends Crossroads Bible Church in Grand Rapids and Stephanie cites “strong Christian values” and “lots of togetherness” as fundamental to her children’s upbringing.
Isaac had always been athletic, but after shooting up from 5’2 to 6’4 in his sophomore year, his talent translated into a commanding presence on the field.
“[Isaac] was easily the best athlete we had. He could run and jump in ways that normal kids didn’t do,” said Craig Tibbe, his head high school football coach at Unity Christian.
Isaac started playing football in third grade. In high school, he played quarterback on offense and safety on defense. He started at quarterback as a junior and senior for Unity, guiding their run-heavy “Wing-T” offense to great success.
Isaac is universally described as calm, analytical, and laid back.
“He’s more of a guy that leads by example rather than talking everybody up,” Mark said.
As a junior, Issac led Unity to its first football state championship. He guided the Hudsonville school to a 42-7 romp over Portland in the Class 5 title game at Ford Field.
Having little experience as a passing quarterback, Isaac transitioned to wide receiver as he pursued a college football career. Few major programs showed interest in Isaac, in part because of his inexperience as a receiver. Hillsdale, the college Isaac’s parents attended and where Mark played football himself, showed immediate interest in his obvious athletic gifts.
Isaac was a force at Hillsdale. In 2022, the budding wide receiver was named his conference’s offensive player of the year, and he earned Division II All-American honors.
Major college programs came knocking and Isaac transferred to Arkansas, where he competed for two years in the SEC.
“Isaac was always the first to meetings, always sat in the front, never complained, took notes the entire time, and knew every wide receiver position in our offense,” said Ronnie Fouch, his position coach at Arkansas. West Michigan made its presence known during Isaac’s time at Arkansas.
“We had 60 people travel down each year to see him play at least one game at Arkansas,” Stephanie said. West Michigan has been just as vocal in its support for him on the Lions.
“A lot of people reach out to us and they’re just so excited for him and the platform he has now to let people know about what Christ means to him,” Mark said.
