Franklin-Simpson’s Jalen Briscoe commits to Kentucky Wesleyan

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - Franklin-Simpson star athlete Jalen Briscoe signed his Letter of Intent to continue his athletic and academic career at Kentucky Wesleyan College.

“It felt great. I’ve been seeing everybody else do this little signing thing and I was kind of nervous having mine publicly really,” Briscoe said. “It’s always been kind of a dream to sign with a big crowd like this, to have all my support out here, Pastor Eric, all the coaches out here, and knowing they’ll be watching me take the next steps in my journey.”

Briscoe was a multisport athlete for the Wildcats, playing basketball and football, and he could’ve chosen to play either sport. But ultimately, he decided that being on the gridiron, playing football, was the best choice for him. Seated with his mom. dad, and sister, and had tons of family members sitting behind him, Briscoe signed the dotted line to join the Panthers football squad, but the decision didn’t come easy.

“[It was] a really tough decision. To be honest, I took a year off [of football] and I stayed focus on basketball and I told myself as soon as I pick up my first offer I’ll play football again. Over the summer, I got my first offer for basketball, growing up with basketball, it was a hard decision because it’s my first love,” he said. “So when it came to the coaching staff, I really based it off of that, football is just where it felt. So now that I’ve committed to football, I feel like I can really put my time and effort into something and be really really great other than just playing for two years.”

Jalen says part of the reason he chose KWC was due to how welcome they made him feel and the fact that they care more than just athletics.

On the field in his senior year, Briscoe played in 9 games and caught 16 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. That’s on average 32 yards per catch. On the court, for his senior year, he led the team in scoring, with 16.8 points per game and led the team in rebounds, averaging 7 a game.

Being a multisport athlete can help student-athletes become well rounded. But KWC isn’t just getting a great player, but they are also getting a great person.

“They are also getting a leader in other places as well. Being a passionate friend, a passionate person, a supportive person. I like to bring people in as my own and take them in as family whether they feel like they need to be in or out, they always need to be in,” Briscoe said. “They’re getting a really great person, I think. And that’s why I thought he (coach) saw in me that I didn’t see at first.”

He says he’s looking forward to getting to campus and doing the same things he was doing in high school, working hard and competing on the field.

“I know its going to be a little harder competition, I have to have a great work ethic. So I have to go down there with a great mindset and put in the time and effort and work.”

Jalen will be trading in his Wildcat blue and white for the Panthers purple and white, starting next fall.

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