Former Penn State Nittany Lions' safety Jaquan Brisker shares some very cool stories about the moments right after he signed with Pittsburgh.
"Ahhh! I'm a Steeler baby!"
Those were some of the first words out of the mouth of newly-acquired Steelers' safety Jaquan Brisker after he made the decision to sign with Pittsburgh just a few short days ago.
Before going to Penn State, Brisker grew up in the hills of Western Pennsylvania and spent his childhood falling in love with the sport thanks to the Steelers. Stars like quarterback Ben Roethlisbeger were who he watched growing up, and he recalled not ever seeing a game inside Heinz Field because his family could not afford it.
Those days are fortunately long gone for Brisker and his family, as he has established himself as a solid safety in this league.
Moments after Brisker came to an agreement with the Steelers, he called his mother and shared the news.
"The first person that I called was my mom. I said, 'Mom, I'm about to be a Steeler!' She said, 'Baby, are you sure?!'"
A complete and total full circle moment for Brisker to share with his mother upon receiving the best news that he possibly could.
Moments after speaking with his mom, Brisker called his former Penn State teammate Joey Porter Jr., who was "pressed" to find out the two were teammates again.
It's a family reunion and a perfect fit for Brisker, who is trying to regain his footing in the NFL. He came into the league as a decently touted prospect when he was drafted with the No. 48 pick in the second round of the 2022 draft.
Brisker was a star player at Penn State, and unfortunately, his production never really came to fruition in Chicago. In his first two years, he had over 100 tackles, but then his production really fell off.
He appeared in only five games in 2024, and then in a full year in 2025, he was fine. Finished with 93 tackles, eight pass breakups, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one interception.
He is not only tasked with improving his performance, but he is also tasked with improving the Steelers' defense at large.
Pittsburgh's defense was ranked 28th in the league in yards per game and 17th in points allowed per game with 23.2.
The Steelers were on the cusp of mediocrity for the entire season last year, and they are hoping that full-scale changes will be the difference.
One of the first places they looked was bringing back the Pennsylvania kid, who made a name at State College, and now gets to try and make a career back in his hometown.