ALTOONA, Pa. -- Penn State's roster is loaded with guys who were prized recruits, including a Gatorade National Player of the Year in running back Nick Singleton, the nation's top quarterback recruit in Drew Allar and a potential first-round draft pick with a recognizable name in Joey Porter Jr.
But who will be the best player on this year's Nittany Lion team? It probably won't be one of the youngsters in Singleton or Allar -- not yet anyway -- and Porter will have a chance to claim the title, along with the likes of defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, quarterback Sean Clifford and wide receiver Parker Washington.
But as of right now, as the team gets set to open fall camp, safety Ji'Ayir Brown has as good of a claim as anyone to the best player on the team label.
Which is astounding, if you know the story of Brown's path to Penn State.
Because unlike all those other guys, Brown was an afterthought in high school when it came to college recruiting. He didn't have a single Division I scholarship offer, had to go the JUCO route at Lackawanna College in Scranton, then came to Penn State.
He hasn't just been any other player at Penn State, either. Last season, Brown tied for the lead in the nation with six interceptions, he had an 87-yard interception return for a TD against Maryland, and he finished the season strong with two picks in the Outback Bowl against Arkansas. Oh, and he recovered two fumbles, giving him a total of eight turnovers for the season.
Talk about a great story, Brown was asked to share his journey during Big Ten media days this week. He appeared on BTN's live coverage and was asked by host Dave Revsine to discuss the road he took from high school in Trenton, N.J., to where he's at now.
"Out of high school, I had one offer -- (Division III) Montclair State -- and I went there, I took my visit and everything," he said. "I talked to the coaches, and it didn't feel right for me. I wanted to play on a big stage, I just needed to find a way to get there. And honestly, I had no clue, no clue at all. Coming from where I come from, I didn't have too many guys I can look up to, a guy that may have helped me and lead me in the right way. So, it was pretty tough.
"I just let God take over, and I just was going day by day, just not with no plan, no direction."
Things turned for Brown in a big way when he played in a New Jersey All-Star game, which was run by former NFL quartberack Phil Simms.
"Played there, won defensive MVP," Brown said, "and one of the guys who was on my team was a recruit for Lackawanna College. And Lackawanna tuned into the game just watching their guys, and I just happened to ball out that game. I think I had two interceptions, like 10 tackles, I just had a real good game. They reached out to me like, 'Where are you going to school at?' And I'm like, 'Sir, I got no school to go to. I just don't know."
The Lackawanna coaches gave him the offer he needed to get his career going on the right track.
"They were like, 'We got a spot for you here if you need to go to school,'" Brown said. "And me having nowhere to go, I felt like they caught me for a reason. All these things happen for a reason, and this is God's plan for me. I was like, 'I'm coming. I'm going to Lackawanna.''"
Just like former Penn State star safety Jaquan Brisker, Brown developed his skills at Lackawanna, then found himself getting an opportunity to come to Penn State.
Now Brown hopes that he can do something else Brisker did -- become a college star and go to the NFL as a high draft pick. Brisker, an All-American last season, was selected in the second round of this year's draft by the Bears.
Brown may have entered last season as a bit of an unknown at Penn State, but now everybody knows his name after his huge season in 2021.
Mustipher and Clifford were being interviewed along with Brown in Indianapolis, and they were asked what they thought about Brown's fascinating journey.
"It's inspirational, for me at least, knowing where Ji'Ayir's been, where he's at now," Clifford said. "And just knowing the leader that he is in the locker room for us, is pretty cool."
Mustipher added, "Everybody's story makes them who they are today, and Tig is a phenomenal leader, phenomenal person, somebody I can call my brother. So his story is motivation and an understanding that in life challenges are going to happen, you just got to overcome."
Few on the Penn State team, by the way, call Brown anything other than Tig. Where did he get that nickname?
"From the cartoon character from Winnie the Pooh -- Tigger the Tiger," Brown mentioned when asked last year. "My original nickname was Tigger because I used to jump around a lot when I was a baby. And as I got older, I didn't want people calling me Tigger. So, I just cut it short to have people calling me Tig."
Will we be able to call Tig the best player on Penn State this season? Time will tell, but he should at least be in the running for that distinction.
