Texas football: Jordan Whittingham doesn't look or sound like a freshman
Texas Longhorns players and coaches alike have been bullish on freshman running back Jordan Whittingham since spring ball started and as teh season gets closer, the hype is showing little sign of slowing down.
The Cuero High School product made the move from receiver to running back to help provide depth in the spring and it's been a much smoother transition than expected.
"I Look at him and I sometimes I forget that he's never played college football because he gets along with everybody so well," Sam Ehlinger said of Whittingham. "He's fun to be around. He's not scared to voice his opinion. Some freshmen come in and are super
quiet."
When talking about his physical development, Ehlinger said he "looks like a 24 year old on 'roids."
With the Longhorns' 2018 leading rusher Keyontae Ingram expected to miss most of fall camp with a knee injury, Whittingham has been receiving even more reps and may very well be asked to be an every-down-type back in the Longhorns' offense.
The son of former NFL running back Arthur Whittingham, Jordan came to Texas just a couple of months after breaking the Texas state championship game record for rushing yards with 28 carries for 334 rushing yards and five touchdowns plus three catches for 45 yards and another score. On top of that he also recorded a team-high 11 tackles for the Gobblers.
Just a few months later he was moving into the two-deep roster on the Texas running back depth chart and with Ingram missing time, he's become the defacto No. 1 for now, at least until Ingram is cleared to return.
It will be interesting to see how the freshman holds up with increased use and whether Daniel Young can help shoulder some of that load.
