Lackawanna duo ready to make big impact at Penn State
Penn State’s Class of 2019 has a handful of prospects that will likely make an impact as soon as next season, but for two of those players, junior college offensive lineman Anthony Whigan and safety Jaquan Brisker, they don’t plan to just play in 2019. They plan to make a difference.
That’s what they did this season at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa. Fresh off an undefeated, 10-0 regular season, the Falcons are now attempting to go 11-0 for the first time in the program’s history. They’ll get that chance Dec. 1, when they square off against the defending NJCAA National Champions, Arizona Western, in the El Toro Bowl.
But regardless of how that game plays out, the future Nittany Lions have already had a huge impact on the Lackawanna program.
“Whigan was the lynchpin for us all year,” said Lackawanna offensive coordinator Josh Pardini. “He took every snap for us this season, so he was able to stay healthy, which was great because we really needed him when matching up against great defensive ends. But he really improved his run blocking and that had a lot to do with how much stronger he got this past offseason. He really dedicated himself to that and it showed this season. He was literally physically able to just move people.
“In our last game, he played against South Carolina commit Devontae Davis, who’s a really talented football player. Anthony didn’t allow a sack, a tackle for loss or even a pressure the entire day. So, he played really well for us this season. He’s the kind of guy and player that everyone looks for. He’s the nicest guy on the team and the hardest worker on the team. Nothing ever seems to faze him.”
Whigan’s growth this season has also attracted interest from other programs. With that said, it doesn’t appear as if he’ll take any visits between now and when he signs next month.
“Oklahoma and Syracuse have stayed on him pretty consistently throughout the process,” said Pardini. “Texas, Florida State and Miami have all called and he’s told all of them that he’s firm with his commitment. He actually had a great conversation with the Penn State staff last week. He told me after that he’s sure he know where he’s going.”
Brisker, who’s expected to play safety at Penn State, did a little bit of everything for the Falcons this season. In his final regular season game against Georgia Military College, he earned NJCAA Defensive Player of the Week honors, recording seven tackles, including three for a loss of yards with two sacks.
But those kind of numbers weren’t just a one-off, as he’s done that all season, totaling 57 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks, all of which led the team. When he wasn’t pressuring quarterbacks off the edge, Brisker was making plays in pass coverage, adding five pass deflections.
“Brisker’s responsibility this season was to just stop our opponent’s main offensive player or package. That’s really what it came down to this year,” Pardini said. “He’s our top player and he’s versatile enough that we can shift him around to disrupt our opponent. We had him play on the line of scrimmage at times. We had him play [middle linebacker], at corner and at safety. He really was all over the place for us this season.
“We moved to more of a 3-3-5 stack look, which was mainly just so we could get our best athletes on the field. We’re loaded at defensive back, so that was the best way to go. That put Brisker in the nickel role and sometimes the [strongside linebacker] role. In coverage, he mainly matched up against slot receivers, sometimes running backs. Teams never threw at him, so that’s why he didn’t have any interceptions this season, but he’s also a big reason why we had more than 20 interceptions total. He always locked down either their best player or a side of the field, which forced throws and allowed our other guys to make the play. He did just a phenomenal job this season. He exceeded out expectations and we threw a lot at him.”
While Brisker added a lot to his game this season, he also grew as a leader. That should help him when he arrives in Happy Valley.
“There are a lot of defensive backs that wouldn’t want to do that role because they’d rather just focus on coverage skills before going to the next level," Pardini said. "Jaquan never looked at it that way, which I think really helped him learn other skills. As a coaching staff, what impressed us was his ability to come off the edge and rush the quarterback. He had never done that before, yet he finished the season with eight sacks. That’s something that could really help him at the next level, depending on how they use him.
“But also, just from a leadership perspective, he never let the defense have a bad day. Whether it be in the meeting rooms, the practice field, wherever, he always brought energy and his teammates fed off of that.”
Whigan and Brisker are both set to sign their letters of intent on December 19th, which is when the majority of Penn State’s class will sign. Neither redshirted, meaning they'll have three years to play two. Whigan will graduate early from Lackawanna, enrolling at Penn State in the beginning of January, while Brisker will do one more semester at Lackawanna before arriving at Penn State in the summer.
“We stay in touch with their staff pretty frequently,” said Pardini. “I know we had a talk with Coach Franklin not that long ago about how early we believe those two can make an impact there. Of course, we think they can come in right away and play. There’s no doubt about that in my mind. Anthony needs to continue getting stronger, which won’t be a problem there. Coach Galt is a miracle worker. I’m really excited to see what he can do with Anthony.
"With Brisker, I just don’t see how he can’t get on the field right away. I know he won’t be there until the summer, but he’s just too talented and works too hard for him to not have an instant impact there.”