PSU picks up junior college safety Jaquan Brisker

Penn State added junior college safety Jaquan Brisker to its Class of 2019 Thursday evening.

Just this past weekend, the Monroeville, Pa., native visited Penn State for the first time, along with teammate Anthony Whigan. His coach, Lackawanna College offensive coordinator Josh Pardini, made it clear that the two enjoyed their time.

“They both loved it," said Pardini. "I think Penn State did nothing but help their chances. I know Whigan’s parents were enamored with the place and everything they have to offer. He also likes that the staff isn’t pushy with him. He likes that laid-back atmosphere that they provided.

“Jaquan was very similar. He said he had a great time and really loved everything about it. He's known Coach Smith for years now and I think he did a great job rekindling that relationship with Jaquan. He also had a good day with Coach Pry and Coach Franklin."

Since emerging this past season as a freshman at Lackawanna, Brisker has earned 14 verbal scholarship offers. Alabama, Maryland, Mississippi, Miss. State, Pitt, Utah and West Virginia are a few of the more notable schools. He had an official visit set to Alabama in September, but will no longer take that trip.

Brisker finished the 2018 season with 54 tackles (30 solo, 24 assisted) and four interceptions, two of which he took back for a touchdown. Pardini said that despite the fact that Lackawanna rarely plays freshman, they knew very early in the season that Brisker had to see the field.

“It’s very hard to start as a freshman for us,” said Pardini. “Brisker was our backup safety weeks one and two, strictly for the fact that he was a freshman and we had some older guys that just knew the defense and knew our system better.

“But when it came to ability, it was so noticeable in training camp, so we were always looking for ways to get him on the field. We thought about outside linebacker at one point, but once we went into the second game, which we won pretty handedly, we were able get him a lot of time. He ended up taking his first interception 100 yards for a score. On top of that, the starting free safety got injured earlier in that game. From that point forward, it was basically his job and he hasn’t looked back since. From then on, everyone on the defense, young or old, knew who the best player was in our unit. Whenever we needed a play or needed a stop, he was the guy”

Originally from Monroeville, Pa., Brisker played at Gateway High School, where current Penn State defensive back coach Terry Smith was once the head coach. While Smith had already left Gateway before Brisker's freshman season, the 6-foot-2, 200 pound safety said that he grew up close to the program.

"In fourth or fifth grade, I was actually the water boy for the high school team," Brisker said, adding that his brothers played for Smith at the time. "So, I’ve known Coach Smith for a real long time. Our relationship is real good. We’re tight."

Brisker finished his first year at Lackawanna with a 3.2 GPA. However, he's still expected to do two more semesters of junior college, as it'll be difficult to take the amount of credits needed this upcoming fall for Brisker to enroll at Penn State next January.

His commitment kickstarts what's expected to be a busy couple of days for Nittany Nation. Tomorrow, the Lions are expected to earn a commitment from five-star running back Devyn Ford. Come Monday, defensive back Tyler Rudolph and linebacker Brandon Smith are also set to make their decision. Penn State is considered the favorite with both prospects.

For more on Brisker's commitment, join us inside The Lions Den!