UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State senior safety Jaquan Brisker and redshirt senior defensive end Arnold Ebiketie were selected to the 2021 Football Writers Association (FWAA) of America All-America second team, presented in partnership with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, it was announced on Friday.
Ebiketie is the first Penn State defensive end since Carl Nassib in 2015 to earn All-America honors from one of the five All-America teams the NCAA currently recognizes. Brisker is the first Penn State safety selected since Marcus Allen in 2017.
S Jaquan Brisker
- Brisker also has earned All-America honors from CBS/247 Sports (first team), On3 (first team), Pro Football Focus (first team), The Athletic (second team) and USA Today (second team).
- Brisker was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media.
- Brisker, a midseason All-American first team honoree by the Associated Press, ESPN and The Athletic (first team), was tabbed a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe and Bednarik Awards.
- The captain, who has accepted an invitation to the Reese's Senior Bowl, has at least a half tackle for loss in eight of 12 games this season.
- Brisker's 5.5 tackles for loss this season are tied for second among Big Ten defensive backs.
- Since 2000, Brisker is just one of three Penn State defensive backs to record at least 5.5 tackles for loss in a season.
- Against Wisconsin, two Lackawanna College alums played a big role. Brisker and senior S Ji'Ayir Brown each recorded interceptions in the closing minutes to seal the victory.
- Brisker's interception stopped a Wisconsin drive inside the Penn State 10. He returned the interception 41 yards.
- He added a tackle for loss and a pass breakup against the Badgers.
- Brisker recorded an interception in the first quarter against Iowa while making a career-high-tying nine tackles (7 solo).
- The senior recorded a takeaway in his second-straight game, recovering a fumble against Illinois while making eight tackles (7 solo).
- In the win at Maryland, he contributed seven tackles (6 solo) and a tackle for loss.
- Brisker had five tackles and a tackle for loss vs. Michigan and a team-high seven tackles and a pass breakup against Rutgers.
- A native of Pittsburgh, Brisker made eight tackles at Michigan State, marking his third game this season making eight or more tackles.
DE Arnold Ebiketie
- Ebiketie additionally had earned All-America honors from The Athletic (second team) and Pro Football Focus (honorable mention).
- Ebiketie was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media.
- Ebiketie, a final watch lister for the Ted Hendricks Award, joined the Nittany Lions after a four-year stint at Temple (2017-20).
- At the conclusion of the regular season, 14.5 of Ebiketie's Big Ten-leading 17.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 of his 9.5 sacks (3rd in the Big Ten) have come against Big Ten opponents (nine games).
- The Silver Spring, Md. Native, who has at least one tackle for loss in eight-straight games, ranks fourth among Power Five players in tackles for loss and ninth in sacks.
- He is second among Power Five defensive linemen in tackles for loss and tackles and tied for seventh in sacks.
- The defensive end, who has accepted an invitation to the Reese's Senior Bowl, was named a Midseason All-America First Team honoree by The Athletic.
- He had an impressive Penn State debut with seven solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack, while also adding a blocked field goal against Wisconsin.
- Ebiketie's sack against the Badgers came at a crucial moment of the game, with the Badgers facing 2nd-and-10 at the PSU 25 late in the fourth quarter. He recorded a 7-yard sack and forced an intentional grounding penalty.
- The redshirt senior recorded a solo sack against Indiana and blocked his second field goal of the season, a 30-yard attempt, becoming the first Penn State player with two blocked field goals in a season since Scott Paxson in 2004.
- Born in Yaounde, Cameroon, Ebiketie tied a career best with 3.5 tackles for loss at Iowa and had nine tackles.
- In the Illinois contest, he recorded a season-high 10 tackles, matching his career best and the most by a Penn State defensive end since Yetur Gross-Matos recorded 10 at Indiana in 2018, while also adding 1.5 sacks.
- Ebiketie tallied two sacks against Michigan, including a forced a fumble on a strip-sack in the fourth quarter.
- He followed that up with 1.5 tackles for loss and a strip-sack vs. Rutgers, marking his fifth career forced fumble and second at Penn State.
- His streak of games with a tackle for loss was extended to eight at Michigan State, where he also added a pass breakup.
The FWAA's All-America Committee selected this 78th annual team based on nominations from the entire membership. This is the ninth season in the modern era (post-1950) that the FWAA has named a second team.
The 2021 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.