Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1054766
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 18 plays in pass coverage, adding five pass de- flections. "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 shiB 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 who wouldn't want to do that role because they would 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 be- fore, 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 perspec- tive, he never let the defense have a bad day. Whether it was 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 Dec. 19, which is when the majority of Penn State's class will sign. Neither player redshirted, meaning they will have three years to play two. Whigan will graduate early from Lackawanna, enrolling at Penn State in early Janu- ary, 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," Pardini said. "I know we had a talk with Coach [James] 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 [Dwight] 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." Whigan (above) is set to arrive at Penn State in time for the start of the spring semester in January. Brisker will join him in the summer after finishing up his course- work at Lackawanna. Photos courtesy of Lackawanna College