Q&A: Catching up with Jaquan Brisker

The road to Penn State hasn't been easy for safety Jaquan Brisker. In fact, just a few years ago, it seemed unlikely.

Between fighting through injuries and the death of his brother back in 2014-2015, his high school career didn't start out like most Division I prospects. Then, when he was able to shine on the field, problems in the classroom kept him from reaching that next level.

But like anyone who's determined to succeed, Brisker took advantage of his second chance, using his time at Lackawanna College to prove to the world that he can play on college football's biggest stage.

Now, with Brisker set to enroll at Penn State next month, we caught up with the future Nittany Lion to talk about his past and and the impact he plans to have in the future.

Ryan Snyder: Take me through your time at Gateway. How many years did you start at Gateway? What positions did you play? I don’t know much about your high school career.

Jaquan Brisker: So, my freshman year, I came in and was unprepared. I was lifting and stuff like that, but I wasn’t ready for that level. I was playing corner at the time and also had Division I players ahead of me and just wasn’t mature enough yet for varsity. I played a little when we’d blow schools out, but that was it. I remember sitting on the bench for our last game my freshman year. It was freezing cold. I remember just telling myself, ‘you’re never going to sit on the bench like this again.’ So, that offseason, I think I stepped it up. We got a new coach that year, Tom Nola. He was a legend in the WPIAL and someone that could finally be on [Terry Smith’s] level. I think I used that and it motivated me, but then I broke my ankle early in my sophomore year. That was a real tough year. Honestly, I thought about leaving Gateway, but then my brother passed away in February 2015, so right after my season. I didn’t want anyone else to wear his number, so I ended up staying.

I then had to have another surgery to get the rod in my ankle removed and I also broke my thumb at a Pitt camp that summer, so I was banged up again coming into my junior season but I eventually got healthy. That’s also the same year I started playing offense and then safety. I remember we were in preseason camp and I was hitting hard in camp. My coaches came up to me then and wanted to move me to safety. I didn’t want anything to do with it at first. I remember texting my coach asking what I was doing wrong at cornerback. I took it as if I was doing something wrong. I was a cornerback and I wanted to stay there, but then they explained it was because they wanted me to hit and all that. I’ll never forget that first game I had at safety. I had 11 tackles, so it didn’t take me long to get onboard with the move. But yeah, my junior year was my real breakout year and I had a good senior year, too. I wanted to get us back to the top and we had a good senior year... I'll actually never forget what happened my senior year. We were in the [WPIAL] playoffs, one game away from the championship and Gateway made me sit out the game because I wasn't coming to class. They actually told me earlier in the week that I could play, then at lunch the day of the game, they told me I had to sit out. We ended up losing to McKeesport by three points. We lost on a Hail Mary, too. I should've been out there to defend that. It was terrible watching that game and watching that play. I'll never forget that. That really helped motivate me that offseason, before I got to Lackawanna. I worked so hard, in the gym and in class. I had anger built inside of me until I played again.

Snyder: You’ve mentioned your brother to me a few times over the past year when we’ve talked. If you’re comfortable talking about it, I’d like to learn more about him. What happened?

Brisker: His name is Tale’ Brisker. He was living in Texas at the time with my brother. They both went to the same school. They were at [Prairie View A&M]. I remember it was two days after the Super Bowl, February 3rd. Basically, he got into it with some guys that were talking about him. The fight was done, so he was walking away, but there were a bunch of guns in this house. Then yeah, someone pulled out a gun and that’s how it went down. We were close. He was four years older than me, so that was tough. He was only a teenager. He was only 19 at the time.

Snyder: I know academics were the main reason you didn’t end up at a Division I school out of high school, but what schools were at least showing interest in you out of high school?

Brisker: Before Lackawanna, I had a lot of schools coming to ask about me. I know Penn State was one of them. Penn State saw me play my first game of my junior year and they’ve been interested ever since. But yeah, my grades needed a lot of work. They were always telling me that if I improved I could possibly get a scholarship , but I wasn’t where I needed to be when I was done. But yeah, there were a lot of schools. Boston College, Pitt, West Virginia, Syracuse, Temple, were some. Also, Miami of Ohio, Toledo and Bowling Green. A lot of schools wanted to offer me.

Snyder: Talk to me about Lackawanna and that decision. We know what you did on the field, but off the field, how much did that experience help you grow up and mature? I know it helped a lot academically, but how much more mature are you today compared to two years ago?

Brisker: So, when I came up here, I knew what I had to do. My grades weren't great and I didn’t want to let my family down again. I didn’t want to let my brother down. I remember before I signed for Lack, I had a talk with my cousin and my uncle. At the time, I also had the opportunity to grayshirt at Toledo, but I knew I could do better. I knew I could play at a big school. So, before signing day, I remember talking to my family about betting on myself and using Lackawanna as a second chance.

When you go from being the best player on your team to having to go to a [junior college], that’s not a move guys want to do. But then I had a great talk with [Lackawanna head coach Mark Duda] about this and what Lack could do for me and how much they could help me. I knew I had to mature. I knew that I had to find the right place for me to do that. In Scranton, there’s not much to do, so that was great for me. It got me focused on what really mattered. It gave me the chance to get good grades and be focused. But basically, Lackawanna taught me all about structure. I wasn’t used to having to be places at certain times and making sure I’m accountable. So, that was a big thing. They also tested me mentally and tested my toughness. They tried to push me. They knew they had to push me and it worked out. But I also knew I had to come here and get A’s and B’s. I had to take advantage of this extra opportunity because not everyone gets a second chance.

Snyder: You committed to Penn State just a few days after you visited for the first time last May. What made it so easy for you to just commit like that? I remember you were originally planning to visit Alabama and some other schools. Why did you make the move that quick?

Brisker: If my grades were good junior year of high school, I would’ve committed to Penn State. Penn State was always where I wanted to be. I walked into [Lackawanna] with a Penn State t-shirt and I haven’t stopped wearing it since. You can ask my teammates about that. I’ve always been all about Penn State. I’ll never forget my junior year of high school when Coach Smith invited me up from Gateway to watch the White Out game against Michigan. I got to really see what Penn State was all about then. Seeing their fans lineup when the players come into the stadium and all that. I thought that was incredible. I love everything about it, so Penn State was real high on my list right ever since then. The place is just different, so I knew right then that I could go there. I knew that if I got the chance to go here, I couldn’t pass it up. Before I got the Penn State offer then, I remember I kept asking my coaches, ‘what’s Penn State saying? When are they going to offer,’ stuff like that. This is already after a lot of good teams already offered me. So, you can ask my teammates and my coaches. They knew then that if Penn State offers me, I was going to commit.

Snyder: Talk to me about Terry Smith. How important was he in your commitment?

Brisker: I love that guy. He’s been great to my family and he’s been great to me and I haven’t even played for him yet. I just know he cares about me and cares about helping me. It’s not just about football. He wants to help me become a better man and keep growing as a person. But he’s also a great coach, too, and so is Coach [Tim] Banks. I just know I fit in with those guys and feel comfortable with them.

Snyder: What are you expectations now coming into this season?

Brisker: I want to be the best player I can be. I only have a couple years, so I need to make an impact early and that’s what I’m planning on doing. I don’t want to sound arrogant or cocky because I know there are great players already there, but I’m planning to come in and start right away. I don’t want to just help out here and help out there. I want to be the starter and make a difference on this defense. Honestly, I feel confident in myself because I’ve been working hard. I want to break records in the weight room and on the field. I want to lead the team in tackles, lead the team in interceptions, make All-American lists, everything. That’s the kind of mindset I have to have because I’ve got a couple years to make an impact at this level. I’m pushing myself harder than ever right now and I plan to show everyone how hard I’ve been working soon.