Rivals100 athlete Jordan Whittington commits to Texas
After the recruiting class that Texas put together in 2018, all eyes have been on what Tom Herman and his staff would do for an encore.
The Longhorns got things going in a big way on Saturday with the commitment of Rivals100 athlete Jordan Whittington. After he had pushed back his decision earlier this spring and took a few visits to programs that he had things narrowed down to, he ultimately decided the program that was right for him was also the closest.
“Coach Herman, I see what he’s trying to do out there and I believe in it,” he said. “And I love the environment, since I have to be there for three to four years. I also love the offensive style and what they’ve done with slots in the past.”
Earlier in Whittington’s recruitment, there was some debate as to whether he was better suited to play receiver or somewhere on defense. His choice was always to play offense, and it wasn’t long before he convinced the Longhorns staff that was the right move, as well.
“Last season it didn’t seem that (Texas) had one solid slot receiver,” he said. “[Herman] couldn’t do as much as he wanted to like when he was at Houston or Ohio State, but when I went over the film of the slot receivers he had at those schools and they dominated with them. I can see myself doing that - dominating.”
Whittington said that his relationship with wide receivers coach Drew Mehringer has bloomed, as well. Surely, he’ll be expected to be a big-time playmaker in the offense, but that’s not something that has been as much a part of the conversation between the two during his recruitment.
“Mainly, with me and Coach Mehringer, we don’t talk much about football - it’s mostly about life," Whittington said. "It’s been about getting to know each other and build that relationship so that we will trust each other during my college career.”
Perhaps the heavier sales pitch about the program was given more by fellow players.
Texas also benefited from the happy marriage of having signed players that Whittington is not only close to, but is looking forward to working against in practice.
“I want to compete against the best, and I feel like after this year they have the best defensive back group there is right now,” he said. “Brennan Eagles is one of my best friends - he’s a receiver, but he had been telling me as a friend, to go wherever I want to go but let me know that Texas is someplace special. Most of the time I wouldn’t just believe that, but I can feel it. It’s a whole different vibe.”
Whittington is from California and said that UCLA gave him something to think about ahead of his decision.
He was in Los Angeles at the end of February for a visit, and said he was impressed with what Chip Kelly was able to show him about the system and schemes he’s looking to implement. Whittington said that the Bruins could stay in the picture for him if they choose to continue recruiting him.
“I’m real close to UCLA,” he said. “It was down to Texas and UCLA for me. I love UCLA a lot; if Texas wasn’t there, it would be UCLA and that’s the closest school to me other than UT.
“As long as Coach Herman and everyone doesn’t get fired or something crazy doesn’t happen, then I’m going to stick to UT. When I commit, I don’t want to decommit and flip and all that.”
Whittington said that he would like to take official visits elsewhere if the opportunities present themselves, but isn’t going to worry about not getting invites to do so due to his commitment status. If that ends up being the case, he doesn’t seem too broken up about it – he’s already just a quick trip from where he wants to start his college career as it is.
“I think that Austin is a great place to live,” he said. “The network there is crazy and I know a lot of people in the area since I am only an hour and 15 minutes away.”