FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jaiquawn Jarrett is anonymous no more.

More than a decade of grinding away in obscurity finally paid off for Jarrett on Sunday, when he recorded two interceptions, one fumble recovery, one sack and 10 tackles to lead the New York Jets to a 20-13 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jarrett is the frontrunner to be named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, which will provide another moment in the spotlight for a player long accustomed to existing on the fringes of football society.

“I’ve been through a lot,” Jarrett said Sunday. “Adversity only builds character.”

Jarrett grew up in Brooklyn and didn’t get a Division I scholarship offer until the spring of his senior year, when perpetual also-ran Temple expressed interest. He was part of a football revival at Temple, where he had nine interceptions and two fumble recoveries in four seasons and helped the Owls to the 2009 EagleBankBowl — the program’s first bowl bid in 30 years.

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Jarrett in the second round of the 2011 draft, but he played in just 13 games over two years before signing a reserves/futures deal with the Jets following the 2012 season. Most players on reserves/futures deals are camp bodies unlikely to make the final roster, but Jarrett immediately impressed coach Rex Ryan and stuck with the Jets as a reserve in 2013.

He served as a backup in each of the first nine games this season and continued to impress the Jets on the practice field.

“My mindset is the same every day going into practice: Prepare like a starter,” Jarrett said. “It’s always the next man up. You never know if someone’s going to get hurt. Always prepare the same.”

The work paid off when Ryan — frustrated with his secondary in general and apparently tardy rookie safety Calvin Pryor in particular — benched Pryor in favor of Jarrett.

“We were trying to lineup guys that we think deserve it, whether it’s in the classroom, on the practice field, or in meetings, being on time for meetings,” Ryan said Sunday. “The guy does a great job. He’s dependable and has been playing well.”

But even Ryan couldn’t have foreseen the type of game Jarrett produced Sunday. Ryan acknowledged afterward that he planned to rotate Jarrett with Pryor, but Jarrett played so well that Pryor didn’t play a single snap on defense.

“We just played the hot hand,” Ryan said.

And he’ll likely keep playing the hot hand once the Jets return from their bye.

“I think it’s going to be hard to keep him out of that starting lineup,” Ryan said. “After the performance he had, I’m sure he’ll probably be — if not, he should be the (AFC) Defensive Player of the Week. It’s hard for me to fathom somebody had a better game than he had.”

–Ryan refused Monday to confirm that Pryor was benched for repeatedly arriving late to team meetings, as was reported earlier in the day by ESPNNewYork.com. But his pointed comments about punctuality on Sunday, as well as his non-answers Monday afternoon, left little doubt that the first-round draft pick is in the coach’s doghouse.

“What happens in our team meetings, I’m just going to leave there,” Ryan said. “The reason he didn’t start is Jaiquawn Jarrett.”

Still, Ryan continued to speak optimistically of Pryor’s future — much as he did last season with oft-benched rookie cornerback Dee Milliner. In particular, Pryor, who has played out of position at free safety for most of the season, has no interceptions or fumble recoveries and one half-sack in his first 10 games.

Ryan said he was encouraged by Pryor’s work on special teams on Sunday, when he recorded two tackles.

“I can tell you this: I have a lot of faith in this young man,” Ryan said. “I think he’s going to be a tremendous player for us.”

Just not yet, apparently.