Born and raised in Williamsport, PA, Jake Fagnano has a story like so many eventual Penn State football players. At Williamsport, Fagnano was a standout two-way player at wide receiver and defensive back who was named defensive player of the year in his senior season. He graduated in 2008.
Fagnano began his Penn State career as a walk-on safety. He redshirted the 2008 season and didn't see action in 2009, but by 2010 he was a special teams contributor and rotated in at safety following an injury to Nick Sukay. He continued in that role in 2011 as well.