Lackawanna prospects set to visit
Junior college offensive lineman Anthony Whigan and his teammate, safety Jaquan Brisker, will both visit Penn State Saturday.
Growing up in Great Mills, Md., Whigan signed with Towson out of high school, but was ultimately forced to go the junior college route, ending up at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa. It proved to be an excellent choice, both on and off the field.
"Since Anthony has arrived on campus, he's taken advantage of our academic resources and has had so much success," said Lackawanna assistant coach Josh Pardini. "He finished his freshman year with over a 3.2 GPA and is on track to graduate in December with an associate's degree in business studies. Even more impressive is that he did it in just three semesters."
Whigan's success in the classroom is a major reason why he's now up to 14 scholarship offers. His play on the field was never really questioned.
"I would say that I've been talking with Penn State, Maryland, South Carolina, Ole Miss and LSU the most," Whigan said. "I'll be at Penn State this weekend for the first time and I also have an official visit set to South Carolina. That's going to be June 1st.
"I don't have anything else set, but I know I'm going to take an official visit to Penn State. I'm just not sure when yet. It'll probably be during the season because I definitely want to see a game there."
Since both were non-qualifiers out of high school, Whigan and Brisker weren't allowed to visit any other schools until they completed their freshman year at Lackawanna. However, they were allowed to initiate conversations with coaches. That's allowed Whigan to become close with multiple members of Penn State's coaching staff.
"I've been talking to Coach Limegrover, Coach Rahne and Coach Franklin for a good while now," he said. "Coach Limegrover is one of those guys that really cares about his players. I talk to him on the regular. He's a good guy and he's great at making sure his guys have success on and off the field.
"But really, I love their whole coaching staff. With Coach Franklin, he's really turned them around. Before he got there, Penn State was up and down. Now, over the past couple of years, he's changed their culture and has Penn State back to the old Penn State ways. He's also just a real down-to-earth guy. Coach Rahne is the same way."
Brisker has also been speaking with multiple members of Penn State's coaching staff. A native of Monroeville, Pa., he attended Gateway High School, where current PSU defensive back coach Terry Smith was the head coach from 2002-2012. Smith left Gateway to begin his career as a Division I assistant before Brisker began his freshman year, but he did coach Brisker's older brothers.
"In fourth or fifth grade, I was actually the water boy for the high school team," Brisker said. "So, I’ve known Coach Smith for a real long time. Our relationship is real good. We’re tight."
He added, “I like all of their coaches. Coach Pry is a funny dude. I enjoy talking with him. Coach Banks has always been very upfront. He just keeps it real with you and Coach Franklin, he’s the same way."
Just like Whigan, Brisker has also been planning his official visits ahead of time. But unlike his teammate, he already knows when he'll take his official visit to Penn State.
"I know I’m definitely going to take official visits to Alabama and Penn State," said Brisker. "I already have those visits set. I’m going to Alabama September 22nd [for the game against Texas A&M]. Penn State is going to be November 24th. They play Maryland.”
In addition to the Nittany Lions and Crimson Tide, Brisker said that he's been steadily speaking with Maryland, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Pitt and West Virginia. He's also taken one unofficial visit to Penn State in the past, as he attended the 2015 Whiteout game against Michigan during his junior year of high school.
"The atmosphere was incredible," said Brisker. "I just remember how awesome their fans were."
Whigan will get his opportunity to see Beaver Stadium's atmosphere in the fall. For now, he just wants to get a taste of what it's like to be a Penn State student-athlete.
"I'm definitely excited to see their stadium," he said. "I've heard a lot about it. I know they always have a great atmosphere, so it'll be cool to check that out. But also, I just want to get a feel for the whole area. Everyone tells me you have to go to Happy Valley. Everyone says it's a real nice place.
"Another thing I keep hearing about is the Creamery. Everyone says it's the best, so I got to taste some of that famous ice cream everyone keeps telling me about. But more importantly, I want to major in business when I find my next school, so I'd like to learn more about their business program."