Jaquan Brisker has overcome hardships to become one of the Big Ten's best
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Jaquan Brisker understands deeply the ways in which his life could be different.
A 22-year-old safety at Penn State, Brisker is getting set to embark on his third season with the Nittany Lions this fall. Having chosen to forgo a likely opportunity to play in the NFL, instead opting to take advantage of the NCAA’s bonus year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout, Brisker is aware that he’s standing at the precipice of something great. He is coming off a 2020 season in which he earned multiple awards and was lauded for his performance, and additional national and conference honors have followed in the months leading up to the 2021 campaign. His future, at Penn State and beyond, is bright.
But as he awaits the opportunity that will soon be upon him, Brisker can’t help but think about his past – the humble, difficult adolescence, the small choices that proved critical, the evolution in perspective and thinking that occurred along the way. All of it has given rise to frequent moments of reflection.
“I’m here at Penn State and I’m very blessed, and I just think about where I was and where I came from,” Brisker said. “I’m just blessed to be here. From what I dealt with in high school, and then when I went to junior college – to be here at Penn State, I think about things like that all the time. It always comes up.”
Given Brisker’s complex personal history, there is much to think about.
A rising prospect at Gateway High School in Monroeville, Pa., Brisker saw his world upended when his older brother, 19-year old Tale’, was gunned down in February 2015 in Prairie View, Texas. Having completed his sophomore season with the Gators, Jaquan found solace on the field and motivation in his brother’s memory. But he couldn’t completely escape the brutal reality of a family member lost to violence.
Tale’ had been an outstanding receiver himself at Gateway, and his death generated a blanket of support for Jaquan and his siblings. But with it came attention that only furthered the deep discomfort that Brisker was feeling.
“It was hard because when he passed, I didn’t want to go to school. That put me behind in school because I didn’t really want to go to school and see people and communicate,” Brisker said. “It was hard to go back and learn and sit there and act like things were normal. He went to the same high school, so people there knew him. There were always people apologizing or making sure I was OK. That was uncomfortable, because I’m a chill guy and I really don’t like too much attention. I don’t really talk much, so it was uncomfortable at the time. A lot of things were going on [that caused] me to not focus on school.”
By the time Brisker was a senior, he had drawn the attention of Penn State, Pitt, Toledo and others, but the academic impact had taken its toll. Missing games through his senior season due to academic ineligibility, he eventually found himself sidelined for Gateway’s last-second semifinal loss to McKeesport in the WPIAL playoffs. Spending that final high school game watching helplessly, with offers and options for his college football career drying up, he vowed to commit himself to the academic obligations he had previously ignored.
That difficult experience, Brisker says now confidently, shaped the individual he has since become. “I understood that school was important and that I had to be a better person to reach my goals,” he said. “I had to change, and my work ethic had to change – just my attitude and how I approached things.”
Given an opportunity to join head coach Mark Duda’s nationally competitive Lackawanna College football program in Scranton, Pa. – an opportunity that also afforded him a chance to improve his academic credentials, Brisker eagerly accepted. His grades would have to come first. Becoming a student-athlete would be one part of a process aimed at changing his circumstances on and off the field, but if he upheld his part of the bargain, additional opportunities would follow. Said Brisker, “I just learned that I had to mature and be a different person.”
The change in scenery, and direction, was effective. Brisker found his footing and, with a position switch to safety, took off. But in a turn that isn’t a given for players who come into the Lackawanna program, Duda said he witnessed Brisker acclimate to a dramatically different environment.
“He was a kid who wanted to have discipline,” Duda said. “You have to want it to have it happen. So he wanted it, and he really got it for the first time with us, and it just made him come to life.”
Describing the experience as a formative one that he “needed to have,” Brisker was able to focus fully on his aspirations. He shared a room with four other players, and the structured lifestyle helped him avoid distractions. “It’s a college, but it’s not really a college,” Brisker said. “There aren’t any parties. You’re just going up there to play football and to do school. I felt like that was a great opportunity and a humbling experience.”
On track to get his degree from Penn State this fall, while taking on a premier leadership position with the Nittany Lions on the field, Brisker has been able to make good use of the “Lackawanna habits” he developed while attending junior college. And among the beneficiaries have been his coaches, who are excited to have him back for one more year.
“He’s a vet now,” defensive coordinator Brent Pry said. “He can do it all. He’s got a great skill set. He’s got corner feet and hips and speed, but he’s got a safety body, and he’s physical and can mix it up in the run game as well as be one of our best cover players. I’m super excited that he returned.”
Leaning into the struggles and challenges that he’s successfully overcome, Brisker projects a sense of well-earned confidence as he prepares for his final college season.
“You just can’t forget about where you came from and how you started,” he said. “I think about that all the time. I’m here at Penn State, but some players didn’t go through junior college, so sometimes they need to learn from my experiences and be humbled. I try to always be humble because I am a humble person, but I always try to take it all in. From everything that went on, I always take it in.”
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