Local Legend: Trent Whittemore Talks First Touchdown With Florida Gators

Photo credit: University of Florida athletic association

You never forget where you came from. Especially when you score the first touchdown of your college football career just down the street.

That's what happened to Trent Whittemore on Saturday. The 6-foot-4, 208-pound slot receiver found paydirt for the first time in a Florida Gators uniform against South Carolina, a four-yard score in the Gators' home-opening, 38-24 victory.

"It felt great," Whittemore described his touchdown after the game. "It feels great to be playing football again, and to get a TD with my family there, friends there, it's just a blessing, huge blessing."

Whittemore is a Gainesville native. His parents, Mark and Missy Whittemore, were sports stars in the area in the 1990s, Mark being an impact receiver for Buchholz High School while Missy played volleyball for the Gators. Mark went on to serve as Trent's head coach at Buchholz from 2015-19 and remains there to this day.

At Buchholz, Trent too was a star. Under his father's tutelage, Whittemore found himself at wide receiver, cornerback, safety, and quarterback for the Bobcats, while also earning All-Area honors in basketball. A local legend, Whittemore may be a bit of an unknown to the national Gators faithful, but he has nothing short of a fan club in and around UF.

"Growing up in Gainesville, I know quite a few people," said Whittemore. "I’ve been here for 19 years, so you meet a couple of people along the way. It’s great to have friends and family in the stands.”

On top of his touchdown, Whittemore made a highlight-reel grab against double coverage from South Carolina in the late first quarter. Whittemore stated that he and quarterback Kyle Trask had prepared that play in practice throughout the week, noting that Trask made a great throw that either he was coming down with, or no one would catch despite the defenders nearby.

“The defense played that played pretty well and I saw the defender with his back turned," Trask said of the pitch and catch. "I know Trent has great ball skills. So you know with the defenders back turned I was trying to rip it at him as long as the defender couldn’t see. And he went up and made a huge play.”

These plays come a week after he made his first college reception, three of them in fact against the Ole Miss Rebels. In the season-opener, Whittemore gained attention for his effort to gain as much yardage as possible at the end of his touches before being tackled to the ground.

Whittemore is one of several young receivers expected to step up in Florida's offense following the departure of four senior receivers to the NFL this offseason in Van Jefferson, Freddie Swain, Tyrie Cleveland, and Josh Hammond.

So far, he's off to a good start, having secured five receptions for 56 yards and a score in two games this year.

"[I] got to see a lot of seniors in front of me and learn a lot from them," Whittemore said of the departed receivers. "Learning from those guys to just stay loose, but focus at the same time. They played so much football, you just get to see their demeanor and just how they approached things on game day, I think that's a huge thing."

One of the biggest concerns entering this season would be how much of a hit Florida's passing offense would take without those four, plus running back Lamical Perine, who was drafted by the Jets after posting 40 receptions a year ago. The hit was minimal, as Trask connected with nine different receivers on Saturday, and with 11 against the Rebels.

In the long-term, Whittemore looks to be a consistent factor in this explosive Gators' passing offense while helping replace that lost production. But for now, he gets to celebrate being the local legend for a weekend.

"I’m sure it was even more exciting for him than me, being a local guy growing up here and growing up as a Gator," head coach Dan Mullen commented on Whittemore's score. "Getting that opportunity is pretty special."