Blue White Illustrated

N O V E M B E R   2 1 ,   2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 17 Penn State's Class of 2019 features a handful of prospects who are likely to make an impact next season, but two of those players – offensive lineman Anthony Whigan and safety JaQuan Brisker – don't intend to just play in 2019. They intend to make a difference. That's what they did this season at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa. Fresh off an undefeated, 10-0 regular sea- son, 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 face defending NJCAA national champion 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 pro- gram. "Whigan was the linchpin for us all year," Lackawanna offensive coordinator Josh Pardini said. "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 de- fensive ends. But he really improved his run blocking, and that had a lot to do with how much stronger he got this past off-season. He really dedicated himself to that and it showed this season. He was literally phys- ically able to just move people. "In our last game, he played against South Carolina commit Devontae Davis, who's a really talented football player. An- thony 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. Noth- ing ever seems to faze him." Whigan's growth this season has at- tracted interest from other programs, but it doesn't appear as if he'll take any visits be- fore signing next month. "Oklahoma and Syracuse have stayed on him pretty consistently throughout the process," Pardini said. "Texas, Florida State and Miami have all called, and he's told all of them that he's firm with his commit- ment. He actually had a great conversation with the Penn State staff last week. He told me aBer that he's sure he knows 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 Col- lege, he earned NJCAA Defensive Player of the Week honors, recording seven tackles, including three for a loss of yards, and two sacks. Those kind of numbers weren't just a one-off, as he's done that all season, total- ing 57 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks to lead the team in all three cate- gories. When he wasn't pressuring quar- terbacks off the edge, Brisker was making R Y A N   S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . C O M R E C R U I T I N G Lackawanna prospects eager to get started at PSU CLASS OF 2019 NAME POS HT WT RATING HOME SCHOOL Hakeem Beamon DL 6-3 255 ★★★★ Chesterfield, Va. Manchester JaQuan Brisker DB 6-2 200 ★★★ Monroeville, Pa. Lackawanna College Lance Dixon LB 6-2 200 ★★★ West Bloomfield, Mich. West Bloomfield John Dunmore WR 6-3 170 ★★★★ Hollywood, Fla. Chaminade Madonna Keaton Ellis DB 6-0 160 ★★★ State College, Pa. State College Area Devyn Ford RB 5-11 195 ★★★★★ Stafford, Va. North Stafford Michael Johnson Jr. QB 6-3 202 ★★★★ Eugene, Ore. Sheldon Joey Porter Jr. CB 6-2 185 ★★★ Pittsburgh, Pa. North Allegheny Taquan Roberson QB 6-0 198 ★★★★ Wayne, N.J. DePaul Catholic Tyler Rudolph DB 6-1 205 ★★★★ Oakdale, Conn. St. Thomas More Emery Simmons WR 6-1 186 ★★★ Fayetteville, N.C. South View Brandon Smith LB 6-3 218 ★★★★ Mineral, Va. Louisa County Brenton Strange TE 6-4 217 ★★★★ Parkersburg, W.Va. Parkersburg Caedan Wallace OL 6-4 330 ★★★★ Princeton, N.J. Hun School Anthony Whigan OL 6-5 295 ★★★ Great Mills, Md. Lackawanna College Marquis Wilson DB 6-0 175 ★★★★ Windsor, Conn. Windsor Saleem Wormley OL 6-4 300 ★★★★ Smyrna, Del. Smyrna * As of Nov. 20 P E N N S T A T E C O M M I T M E N T S * C L A S S O F 2 0 1 9

• Cover