Trent Whittemore puts on analyst hat to assess Gators receivers
In less than four years, Florida Gators receiver Trent Whittemore has earned a degree from the University of Florida. He’ll be pursuing a Master’s in telecommunications this fall.
One day after his football career is done, he’d love to follow in the footsteps of another Florida receiver (Cris Collinsworth) and be an analyst on TV. Whittemore wouldn’t be the first analyst in his family. His mother, Missy, who was a UF volleyball player, has served as a longtime volleyball analyst for ESPN and the SEC Network.
That day, he hopes, is not anytime soon. He has a lot of football left to play. On Monday, however, Whittemore was asked about the receivers and how they performed in the first scrimmage. So, he put on his analyst cap.
“I don’t think it was our best performance,” he said. “I think obviously there’s mistakes made but that’s why we go out there and scrimmage twice before we play an actual game, so there were some bright spots, there was some stuff we didn’t do so well but we’ll get it corrected and like I said we scrimmage for a reason.”
He’s got the analyst job down pretty good with that assessment. Florida’s offense has been behind the defense in the early weeks of camp. The first scrimmage last Saturday was no exception. Whittemore and the receivers were missing a big piece in their room.
Gators without one of their best receivers
The Gators were without Arizona State transfer Ricky Pearsall last Saturday. The junior suffered bone bruises in his foot during one of the first practices in full pads. Without Pearsall, Whittemore is the next man up in the slot. He’s a dynamic receiver who could play all three positions but will be needed to pick up the slack and fill in for Pearsall.
“I think for me, it’s just improving my all-around game,” Whittemore said. “I don’t know if there was a super-specific focus, but it’s just coming to work every day and continuing to improve as an overall receiver, whether that’s route running, catching the football, or blocking. I’m someone who just wants to better myself and make a bigger contribution to the team every chance I get. That’s how I view each year, as another chance to take a step forward and help the team out even more than I did previously.”
With just 15 days until the first game of the season, the Gators’ offense will need to kick it into gear. There is trust inside the locker room that Billy Napier will get that job done. The receivers are a veteran room and ready to open eyes in 2022.
“We have a lot of good leadership in the room. Guys who have played some ball. Shorter and Xzavier Henderson are guys that provide great leadership. Just their work ethic, and Ricky as well. He’s played a lot of ball,” Whittemore said.
“So I think we have good leadership, along with myself in that room. I think we’ll be ready to surprise some people during the season.”
