Biggest one back: Dotson or Brisker?

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It’s hard to downplay the impact of this news in either direction, with Penn State now returning the players some would argue were the most important on either side of the ball for another season. Jaquan Brisker was among the highest graded safeties in college football this season by Pro Football Focus, and Jahan Dotson will finish the season as the Big Ten’s receiving yards leader unless Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson somehow pulls off a 214-yard performance against Clemson in the national title game Monday night.

It’s also true that both Dotson and Brisker anchored positions that otherwise might be considered problems for Penn State. Losing Dotson would leave the Nittany Lions without a veteran talisman at the wide receiver spot, and a Brisker exit could have meant Penn State would be replacing both of its safeties, with Lamont Wade still yet to make a formal announcement on his future.

But, when I first thought about this question, here’s what swayed my thinking toward Dotson: Penn State showed — pretty definitively — down the stretch of the season that it does not totally trust either of its quarterbacks. Both Sean Clifford and Will Levis were on a significant leash as the Nittany Lions tried their best to move the ball slowly and carefully, trying to avoid the turnovers that had cost them games in the first part of that season.

If you don’t have a quarterback that you trust, and you don’t have an experienced wide receiver that you trust, either, where does your offense turn? It’s not a pretty picture. It would make Penn State one-dimensional on offense, and it would make it extremely difficult for the Nittany Lions to beat any team with a comparable collection of talent to their own. You can beat Rutgers by running the ball 57 times when everyone knows that’s all you’re interested in doing. You can’t beat Ohio State, Auburn or Wisconsin that way.

Dotson is the key to the lock on Penn State’s playbook. He’s really the only player on Penn State’s offense that has consistently shown an ability to take the top off the defense, which opens up the running game. He’ll likely draw every team’s best cover guy next season, which opens the way for talented youngster Parker Washington to have an impact against easier matchups. And, perhaps most importantly, he’s a reliable safety outlet for a pair of Penn State quarterbacks that have proven that they really need one. Brisker, no doubt, is crucial, but Dotson’s return will trickle down into every level of Penn State’s offense, and to me, his return is the most impactful news of the offseason so far.

When Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry met with the media late in the 2020 season, he acknowledged a central shortcoming to the Nittany Lions troubles earlier in the campaign.

He'd jumped the gun.

Optimistic about where the group stood coming into the year, Pry admitted his enthusiasm was overly so, not accounting for the lack of a spring practice session, preseason camp, or nonconference games before getting into the heart of the Big Ten schedule. And in doing so, he also spoke about veteran pieces, including Jaquan Brisker, who had experience but had not yet started or fully acclimated to position changes that had taken place in the offseason.

"We had a bunch of guys that were first year starters, that didn't get a spring, and didn't get a full camp, and didn't get to go out there and have a couple games before we got into Big Ten play," Pry said. "And then when a little adversity hit, how they tried to handle it, we just had guys out of gaps and trying to make plays outside the framework. It doesn't work that way. You can't play good defense that way."

Brisker, in particular, stood out in the comments.

Described as a "sub package guy" during the 2019 season, Pry moved Brisker to the boundary in the offseason and didn't find immediate success, at once showing flashes of what had been anticipated but struggling to show consistency early against the likes of Indiana, Ohio State, and Maryland. Allowing a 100 percent completion rate on targets to his area against the Hoosiers, Brisker's numbers gradually improved through the course of the season to the point where he produced a sterling effort at Rutgers that graded out at a season-high 91.8 according to Pro Football Focus.

"I think Brisker these last few weeks, he looks like the guy I hoped he would be. I mean, last weekend at Rutgers, running the alley and just sure tackling and confident and fast. That's who I think he is," Pry said of the performance. "He's playing a new position which, the boundary safety and the Will backer have the most adjustments of any position in the defense.

"From being a spot guy out to the field as a strong safety and nickel last year, to toting the boat and pulling the rope 100 percent at free, it was an adjustment for him. I think he went through some growing pains early in the year and I think he's starting to feel more and more comfortable. It's what happens with all those guys. The more experience and the more snaps, the more comfortable you get, knowledgeable and the faster you can play. I think he was a great example that these last couple weeks."

Having previously accepted an invitation to participate in the Senior Bowl, that Brisker ultimately made the decision to return for a third and final year at Penn State is a major boon to the Nittany Lions next season.

Already the second-highest graded defender in the program this past season, the impact of having such a presence isn't limited to the talent and development he's shown. Rather, at a safety position already sustaining the loss of senior Lamont Wade, with limited overall scholarship numbers of six, total, beyond Brisker, four of which have extremely limited experience in redshirt sophomore Tyler Rudolph, redshirt freshman Enzo Jennings, and incoming true freshmen Zakee Wheatley and Jalen Reed, to have a fifth-year guy on the field and in the room will have an immeasurable impact on the program, along with juco transfer Ji'Ayir Brown and Jonathan Sutherland. Though Sutherland has an extensive playing history on defense and special teams throughout his career, With Brown transferring in last offseason to accumulate 130 total snaps this year, and Rudolph having a combined 17 snaps over his first two seasons in the program, and Jennings limited to just five defensive reps against Illinois to close the season in his debut, that's an incredible dearth of playing experience at this level to have to rely upon were it not for Brisker's return.

Whether the Nittany Lions will still seek out help for the position through the transfer portal in the wake of Brisker's decision remains to be seen, but a positional circumstance that appeared tenuous at best is now something far more advantageous for the program moving forward.

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