Creed Whittemore Goes In-Depth on Commitment to Florida Gators

Legacy Florida Gators recruit Creed Whittemore breaks down his decision to commit to UF.

The Florida Gators have landed a commitment from local Buchholz (Fla.) standout Creed Whittemore. Whittemore, the younger brother of current UF receiver Trent Whittemore, had almost 20 offers on the table from schools across the country but decided to stay home and spend his college career essentially in his backyard. 

Whittemore took some time to speak with AllGators about what made UF the right choice for him. Though he is a Gainesville native and prospects from the area with a Florida offer are expected to stay home, there was a point in the process Whittemore didn’t think that would be the case.

“Taking it back. A year ago or about a year ago from now, when I got that Florida offer, the first one coming from [former] coach [Dan] Mullen, I think I decided at that point along with my family to not make any quick decisions. And, you know, I didn't think at that point, I wanted to maybe even go to Florida, I thought I wanted to make my own decision.” Whittemore told AllGators. 

“I went all around the country for the past year, meet other coaches, saw their facilities, and just tried to open my eyes a little bit. Because you know, I've shed tears over Florida games since I was a little kid.”

However, after taking those trips to numerous schools, Whittemore would always come back home and eventually end up back on Florida’s campus to see Trent or to take in practice and the facilities. Being able to be around the program so much and seeing everything that comes with being a Gator was, simply, too hard to say no to.

“Just seeing the Swamp and the culture that Florida has always had, and will continue to have, it's like nothing anybody else in the country can give you," Whittemore said. "I think I just came to that realization, being a kid from Gainesville you don't necessarily have to go to Florida, but I think when you've grown up around the program, seen how the fans treat you and know what it means to really be a Gator, it's just different.”

While Whittemore plays quarterback for his high school, it is wide receiver that he has committed to play when he enrolls at Florida. And while he says you shouldn’t choose a school for a position coach, having someone like UF receivers coach Keary Colbert on staff makes the decision that much better. 

Colbert's experience as a player and the way he interacts with those playing for him are factors the younger Whittemore certainly values.

“I think you never want to go to a place for a position coach, but I think having a position coach like coach K.C. just makes it a plus, and just icing on the cake," Whittemore explained. "I think he's one of the best receivers coaches in the country, not just because he knows a lot about the game and played in the NFL and was a draft pick, but [because] he cares about his players.

“He'll go out and play pickup basketball with Trent and Ant [quarterback Anthony Richardson] on a Tuesday night. I've never heard of a position coach doing that and I think that's really cool. I think he cares about the people he coaches, and he makes it more of like a high school relationship with one of your coaches I think that's just something not a lot of coaches in the country offer.”

When speaking with Florida head coach Billy Napier to inform him that he was ready to be a Gator, the new Florida coach shared in Whittemore's excitement that he would be continuing his career in the Swamp.

"He's pumped up. He said he thinks I can be a great player," Whittemore said of Napier. "He respects me as a person and thinks I can be a heck of a slot and be that punt returner specialist guy." 

Now that Whittemore has pulled himself off the market by announcing his decision to commit to Florida, he says his recruitment is completely shut down and that he’s looking forward to putting on his recruiting cap and trying to get others to come to Gainesville and play with him. 

“I think I've been to everywhere I want to go. Like I said, I've traveled around and seen a lot of places. And [now that I’m] committed to Florida I want to be committed and that's it.” Whittemore said. “I know kids that are committed to their respective schools, and they tell me they have a good time just hitting kids up on Instagram and making those connections. Even if they don't come to Florida, you get to know kids through that. 

"I think that'll be a cool aspect of being committed early. I think that's something I wanted to do. Throughout my recruiting process is to be an early commitment so I can help out the staff and just get to meet new guys.”

Obviously, the opportunity to play with a sibling was appealing to both Trent and Creed when the younger of the two was going through the process. And while the older Whittemore is very excited to be able to do just that, he was actually the one that encouraged the younger one to take all his visits and see other schools before making a final decision.

“[Trent] was probably the one that wanted me to go look at other places the most, just because he didn't want to put any pressure on me to come to Florida," Whittemore described. "And obviously, he's had the time of his life over there and wouldn’t trade that time for anything. But he didn't want to put any pressure on me or anything like that. 

“You know, I'm not necessarily going over there to be with him. I just think, just like coach K.C., it's just another plus. And I think being able to run out of the tunnel with my brother right next to me is going to be something very, very, very few people ever get to do and that'll be a pretty surreal moment.”

While many fans and players are focused on what a player can bring to a team and rightly so, Whittemore wants not just to leave a lasting legacy in the Swamp but in the Gainesville community as well. He spoke a little bit about the kind of player and person the Gators are getting.

“I think on the field, you're getting a guy that is hopefully going to be back there returning some punts. And be that guy you can give a jet sweep to, or on that third-down play someone you can throw an option route to, that Julian Edelman type player," Whittemore envisioned. 

"Off the field, I just want to be a leader and I want to continue to impact Gainesville and leave that impression with people. If I ever leave Gainesville, the Whittemore family legacy carries on. Luke my oldest brother's legacy that he started for all of us. He's the one that started all this and going on to play at Troy. He was the one that you know, impacted me and Trent so I just want to continue to impact the people around me and make great decisions and really affect the Gator community.”

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