Our Honor Defend

With the winter quarter enrollees and spring quarter enrollees all better known now, I hope to proceed chronologically through the rest of the class.  In this 9th installment of the 2nd edition of this now 25-part series titled Better Know A Buckeye, I consider Jordan Whiting¹, the Buckeye verbal that started it all for the class of O’Niners.  Jordan, a linebacker (likely a middle linebacker) from Louisville, KY, is an easy case to summarize.  Jordan knew what he wanted (a scholarship offer from Ohio State), knew why he wanted it, got it, and jumped on it immediately.  Still, in spite of — or perhaps because of — the relative ease observed in making that decision, Jordan volunteered a lot about the process and a lot about what he liked about The Ohio State University.  By the end of it, you might see why Jordan is one of my favorite recruits in the class in spite of him arguably being the least hyped at his position.  Below, I disclose what’s available for your consideration about his recruitment, finishing with an evaluation of strengths, areas for improvement and miscellaneous things to consider about Jordan.  In the end, I conclude that Jordan is now better known, which necessarily requires the More You Know infographic and the “board”, on which Jordan is “put”.

Height: 6’1
Weight: 226lbs
Forty: 4.59
GPA: 3.9
ACT: 26
High School: Trinity HS; Louisville, KY

His Recruitment

Jordan’s story (for my purpose here) starts in the summer of 2007, as he was readying for his junior year at Trinity HS.  While contact with coaches before the junior year is constricted by NCAA guidelines and official offers allowable only on and after September 1st of the junior year, Jordan’s name started to pop up in the recruiting world.  Why Jordan was about to make such an early splash requires little conjecture.  As a sophomore, he was arguably the best player on his Trinity Shamrocks team, a team that had just won its second consecutive 4A state championship.  This November 30, 2006 blog entry at the Courier-Journal forbodes his rising stock.

What made this more interesting for the Ohio State fan is that Jordan Whiting appeared to already have a preference: The Ohio State University.  Fueling this early was a BuckeyePlanet poster well within the know about Jordan and his family, who volunteered this about Jordan in early August:

The other thing about Jordan is that he has a 3.87 GPA, and rumor does have it that he does want to be a “BUCKEYE”

Naturally, Ohio State-inclined recruiting gurus started to take a keen interest in this rising junior from a Kentucky high school football juggernaut.  The few interviews granted by Jordan confirmed that BuckeyePlanet post.  Not only did Jordan identify Ohio State as his “dream school”, but I’d be damned if he didn’t pick up the nuances of Ohio State fandom as well.  Consider this interview of Jordan that was posted on August 5th on the more neutral, general RecruitingPlanet by LordJeffBuck.

Which schools are you most interested in? Do you have a “dream school”?

The schools I am most interested in are; Ohio State University (Definitely), University of Tennessee, and Notre Dame. My “Dream School” is Ohio State University every since I was in the 8th grade.

When you think of Ohio State football, what comes to mind?

When I think of THE Ohio State University I think of a highly successful school in academics as well as athletics. (emphasis original)

Who are some of your favorite football players, either college or pro? Do you have any particular role models on the football field?

A.J. Hawk and Ray Lewis are my favorite football players because of their nose for the ball and their attitudes on and off the field.

If I’m reading the layout of the interview correctly, it was Jordan, and not the interviewer, who even closed the feature with an emphatic “GO BUCKS!”.  Hell, while he made the youthful indiscretion of forgetting the THE in THE Ohio State University the first time around, he more than compensated for it in a later question.

Heater filled in some of the blanks a little over a week later when he talked to Jordan.  Though essentially a minor component to his story, he was getting recruited very heavily at the time by Notre Dame.  He expressed some interest, given their tradition.  However, Ohio State was the clear leader for his services.  Therein, he even revealed a little more on how this infatuation with Ohio State developed.  Simply put, Jordan, a linebacker since the age of five, was coming of age at a time when AJ Hawk was basically the best college linebacker in America.  Jordan, a fan of AJ Hawk’s run of play, decided to do some more research about Ohio State, ultimately finding that the university is a great place to be a linebacker.  He goes so far as to call it Linebacker U².  After doing more research, and going up for a summer camp not too long before, Jordan realized that the academic environment and facilities were impeccable.  Dream school status: confirmed.  Jordan, for his part, had just constructed his own set of preferences, with Ohio State clearly at the top of the set.  All Ohio State had to do in order to seal the deal was just ask for him to come.

As Jordan was giving interviews expressing that sentiment, whispers emerged that Ohio State was going to offer him a scholarship shortly.  An August 13th post on BuckeyePlanet by the respected osugrad21 announced that there was some buzz that an offer was in the works.  By August 16h, Jody Demling, who follows high school football locally for Louisville, cited Jordan’s head coach (Bob Beatty) as saying that Jordan had an offer from Ohio State.  By August 19th, Bill Kurelic confirmed it.  Jordan Whiting, who was in Nerk, Ahia for a family reunion, stopped by Ohio State and was given a verbal offer.

“I talked to coach Fickell in his office,” Whiting said. “Then coach (Jim) Tressel came in and talked to me, my father and my uncle. Coach Tressel said they are going to offer me a scholarship. He said he wanted me and Storm (Klein) to know he wanted us. And he told us about the program and answered all our questions. At 12:01 AM on Sept. 1 is when they are going to send the written offer.”

However, this offer, on Saturday, August 18th, could only be construed as a verbal offer because the more formal written offers may only be mailed on September 1st of a recruit’s junior year.  When that time came and when that offer was in the mail, Jordan said he’d commit to his “dream school”.

His Commitment

Well, that time came and Jordan did commit to his dream school.  On September 1st, 2007, Jordan’s verbal commitment to Ohio State was now unqualified.

“I talked to Coach (Luke) Fickell and Coach Tressel and let them know that I wanted to be a Buckeye,” Whiting said. “Coach Tressel said we’re pretty much set and said, ‘You are now a Buckeye.’ I can proudly say to you that I’m verbally committed to Ohio State and that’s where I want to go.”

There’s certainly nothing wrong with the way Jordan said it or how Heater typed it up, but the proclamation Tressel made — “You are now a Buckeye” — conjures some kind of wizardry, or magic, some kind of telephonic baptism or something of the sort.

The September 1st commitment also made Jordan the first to commit to Ohio State in this class.  Considering how early he did it, I would think he’d have to be the quickest out-of-state verbal commitment in Ohio State history.  He would’ve been the 11th commitment in the 2008 class.

Where He Excels

Power (and any corollary synonyms of strength and so on) is Jordan’s defining characteristic.  He’s a competitive weight-lifter and an accomplished wrestler who competes at the 285lb class (he weights just under 228lbs too).  He has to be the recruit in the class least in need of a college weight-training program.

Accordingly, a few things stick out regarding Jordan.  His power complements his proper frame on defense as well as a great burst at the snap of the ball.  When he stacks the line of scrimmage, in a goalline, short yardage situation or otherwise, offensive linemen must properly square up against him.  To be sure, most offensive linemen will be as powerful as he is at the next level, but the challenge for them is to get a full body on him.  He’ll run through anything else and blow up the play.  Similarly, fullbacks will be challenged to block him regardless of form.

The strength Jordan has also provides the necessary oomph to his native aggression.  When Jordan hits you, you feel it.

Combine this noticeable strength and his ability to smack people upside the head and Jordan becomes the run-stuffing middle linebacker in this class for Ohio State.

Must Work On

I’m guessing Jordan is done growing into his body.  He’ll refine his frame, add muscle in a few parts, but there should be nothing major here.  The biggest challenge for Jordan will be retaining, and even improving if possible, his speed.  If Jordan’s frame is truly freakish and can allow him to balloon up to 250lbs and keep his speed, then… well… awesome.  I’m guessing it won’t be, so Jordan needs to make sure he doesn’t get too big and, thus, too slow.

I already see part of this in his highlights.  Jordan is great getting downhill (ergo: middle linebacker), filling holes and shooting through gaps (ergo: middle linebacker) and has a great burst at the snap (again, ergo: middle linebacker), but I’m a little curious about his agility.  How much of a challenge will pass protection be for Jordan? Ohio State’s defense requires a lot of zone coverage and most high school football is run-heavy.  How well he adapts will be worth watching.

Highlights

ScoutingOhio has this film, taken from what I think might be his junior year.  There’s also these YouTube videos for your consideration: National Underclassmen Combine, Signing Day montage.

Miscellany

• The aforementioned BuckeyePlanet poster in question is 83rocks, a friend of the family.  If you wanted to, you could sift through all this poster’s posts on Jordan Whiting and come up with some interesting factoids regarding Jordan.
  • Jordan is quite the powerlifter, as we know.  However, I did not know that he set a national record for teenagers with a deadlift of 545lbs in the 220-lb class.
  • Rivals.com is misleading in saying that Jordan runs a 4.71 40.  That came from the National Underclassmen Combine whereas Ohio State clocked him at a flat 4.6
  • Entering his junior year, Jordan was benching around 350lbs, squatting 525, could powerclean 280 and deadlift 620lbs.
  • He drinks milk like water.
  • Jordan’s father, an ex-Marine, played an important role in his development as a football player.  According to 83rocks, Jordan’s dad told him there are only two ways to play football: for fun and for real.  When Jordan decided on pursuing the latter route, Jordan’s father helped him along the way.  He had him doing push-ups at age 8, and weightlifting (albeit carefully) at age 11.
  • Apparently Jordan outpowering a wrestler more than 30lbs heavier than him, combined with some potential shenanigans, cost him a shot at being a state champion as a junior.
• Jordan was named the Kentucky Farm Bureau High School Male Athlete of the Year in his senior year.
• Here’s an interview with Jordan Whiting on Athlon Sports, for your consideration.
• Jordan has gotten to know almost every recruit in the 2009 class, though his friendship with Storm Klein is most well known.  Jordan has stayed a few nights at Storm’s house when he was in town and have formed a very strong friendship since meeting each other at a summer camp at Ohio State.
• Jordan is the baby of the family, having an older brother and older sister.
• Jordan was the consummate winner in high school.  He was on his school’s track and field state championship team.  His power-lifting team at Trinity HS has won three straight national championships.  Further, he won a state championship in football for all 4 years of high school.
• On that last note, Trinity’s HS football team is something of a dynasty.  2004 was the only year this decade where Trinity did not win a state title.
• Jordan comes from the same high school as Rob Bironas and Brian Brohm.  Bironas signed to play with Auburn (eventually finished at Georgia State) and Brohm stayed local at Louisville.
• On that note, it should be of no surprise that Jordan’s decision to go to Ohio State did not sit well with the locals.  Louisville and Kentucky kept recruiting him.  Fans of both programs, upset over the college choice of an 17-18 year old kid, tried to sway him on the idea that he would never see the field at Ohio State.  Jordan, unswayed, says he will compete and earn whatever playing time he gets.
• Jordan, who every now and then comes up with a one-liner (whether purposeful or not) that would make the average Buckeye fan stand up and exclaim something akin to “BOOM!” or “Nailed!”, had this to say on choosing Ohio State over the local schools:

“[THE] Ohio State University compared to the University of Louisville or the University of Kentucky, there’s just no comparison at all.”

• The fun part is that this is about one more great season for Ohio State away from being true for basketball too, at least with respect to the Wildcats.
• Alabama also didn’t take no for an answer very easily.  When I found out that Nick Saban, local god, was sending glossy pictures of himself signed “We Want You” to Jordan, I had to do this in response.
• In the RecruitingPlanet interview, he revealed his favorite movie to be 300, his favorite TV show to be CSI: Miami, and his favorite music artist to be Lil’ Wayne.  I think I should’ve mentioned this in the “Must Work On” part earlier…
• #36 is a possible number for Jordan at Ohio State.  Yes, that #36.  And that #36.
• Jordan plans on obtaining a degree in business and sports management at Ohio State.  On his numerous trips to Columbus, he’s met more than a few academic advisers to talk about the matter.
• Jordan has too many fluff-caliber quotes in him that I’m sure I’ve missed a few here.  Nevertheless, here’s some for your consideration:

When your career is over, how would you like people to remember Jordan Whiting?

I would like to be remembered as the meanest guy on the field and the biggest Teddy Bear off the field.

“I want to show other people that I’m not just a football player, I’m not just a wrestler, I’m not just a sprinter, I’m not just a power lifter; I am a true student-athlete,” he said. “I think that counts a lot more because your sport can be taken away at any given time.”

“It’s overwhelming, but at the same time I understand that as soon as I get there that it [my commitment] doesn’t mean anything,” he told BuckeyeSports.com. “I’m going to have to work just as hard as the other 23 commits and the players that are already there. Right now it’s a great blessing. I’m thankful to be a part of the class.

Per Bucknuts…

“My whole life I’ve had this thing about work ethic. Ohio State has that same ethic. I feel like, with hard work and dedication, I can get in there. I’ll go on special teams or wherever they need me. No matter what, I’ll be ready to go.”

“Other schools came up,” Whiting explained. “But, at that time, I already had my mind made up and I was going to try to hopefully one day become an impact player at The Ohio State University. Academically, Ohio State has proven itself and of course, athletically it’s proven itself.”

• Vital Statistics (taken from Bucknuts):

Vital Statistics: As a senior, Whiting led Trinity to a 14-1 record and a fourth straight state championship. Whiting has been a starter for the last three. During his senior season Whiting made 121 tackles including six sacks.  He had 18 tackles-for-loss. Whiting was a first-team All-Kentucky selection (media and coaches). He was also the Bluegrasspreps.com state defensive player of the year. He is also the state’s top-rated wrestler in the 285-pound weight class. As a junior, Whiting had 116 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions on the season. He was clocked at 11.1 seconds in the 100-meter dash last spring and also boasts a 350-pound bench and a 510-pound squat.

If those numbers seem lacking for Jordan, remember: his high school team was dominant.  Like Terrelle Pryor of yesteryear, often times Jordan didn’t see the field in the second half.

As always, by this point I think Jordan is now better known… if there are no objections.

And, if there are no objections, let’s put him on the board:

Class of 2009
Name	Position	Hometown	Better Known?	Name	Position	Hometown	Better Known?
CJ Barnett	DB	Clayton, OH	02.20	Marcus Hall	OL	Glenville, OH
Dorian Bell	LB	Monroeville, PA		Adam Homan	FB	Coldwater, OH	01.29
Adam Bellamy	DT	Aurora, OH		Carlos Hyde	RB	Naples, FL
Jaamal Berry	RB	Miami, FL		James Jackson	WR	Grand Ledge, TSUN	03.05
Zach Boren	FB	Pickerington, OH	01.22	Storm Klein	LB	Nerk, Ahia	02.02
Corey Brown	WR/DB	Monroeville, PA		Corey Linsley	OL	Youngstown, OH
Duron Carter	WR	Ft. Lauderdale, FL		Sam Longo	OL	Belbrook, OH
Dominic Clarke	DB	Frederick MD	02.11	Jack Mewhort	OL	Toledo, OH	02.05
Melvin Fellows’ Safari Planet	DE	Garfield Heights, OH		Jonathan Newsome	LB/DE	Glenville, OH
Chris Fields	WR	Painesville, OH		John Simon	DE	Youngstown, OH
Reid Fragel	TE	Grosse Pointe, TSUN		Jordan Whiting	LB	Louisville, KY	03.12
Kenny Guiton	QB	Aldine, TX		Jamie Wood	DB	Pickerington, OH	02.26
Jordan Hall	ATH	Jeannette, PA

1. A previous version of this feature for Jordan Whiting existed about a year ago, if you’ve been aware of this.  It was the first post titled Better Know A Buckeye and was basically a trial run for what was to come.  However, I say it “existed” because it was eventually flagged by the OHD Quality Assurance/Quality Control Staff as failing to comply with the NCAA’s stipulated minimum quality-quantity ratio, which would’ve resulted in my second run-in with the NCAA’s Division I Committee on Blogging Infractions.  Rather than risk another suspension, I ended up yanking it so Jordan could get a more thorough consideration.  He deserves better. [↩]
2. Yes, that’s right Penn State fans.  He went there.  That just happened. [↩]