Ranking Penn State Football’s top 5 returning players in 2021: Defense

No. 3: Jaquan Brisker

Safety Jaquan Brisker was the other surprise announcement of the offseason when he made it official on twitter that he will be back next fall.

Brisker is another player that had an invitation from the Senior Bowl waiting on him at season’s end, however decided it best to stick around the program to get more starts under his belt. The Pittsburgh native has only played in 22 games, making nine starts for the Nittany Lions after transferring from JUCO Lackawanna College.

In his first season as a starter Brisker tallied 57 total tackles, three tackles for loss, six pass breakups and an interception. He tallied two interceptions the year prior as well, forcing his way into the lineup in his first season in Happy Valley.

Brisker was slow to get going last season, however really turned it on during the second half of the season and was a big part of the Nittany Lions four game winning streak to end the season. It was evident he played with more confidence and made a big pass breakup late in the game against Rutgers and had an interception early against Michigan State to se the tempo.

It is yet to be seen who will be back at safety opposite him next season, however Brisker falls under the category of players to watch for as a breakout candidate.