Whittemore Creating His Own Story
February 14, 2023 | Football
STARKVILLE – The list of athletic accomplishments and accolades within Creed Whittemore's immediate family is nothing short of impressive.
Whittemore's father, Mark, played wide receiver at UCF in the mid-1990s and has been the head coach at Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Florida for over a decade. His mother, Missy, was a three-time All-SEC volleyball player at Florida.
Older brothers, Trent and Luke, are/were college wideouts with Trent recently transferring from Florida to UCF while Luke, who played at Troy, just took a job at Southern Miss to work for the Athletic Foundation/Eagle Club.
Needless to say, there's no shortage of sports that could be discussed during dinners at the Whittemore home. But with athletics already occupying so much of their day-to-day, the family tries to maintain some semblance of normalcy at home.
"We try not to get too submerged in it because it's already a big part of our lives," Creed said. "We enjoy sports but we try to do what we do for the Lord and make sure He's at the top."
Like the rest of the family, Creed is following in their footsteps and is now a freshman wide receiver at Mississippi State. The former four-star recruit feels fortunate to be the next Whittemore to carry on the family's legacy of excellence in college athletics.
"It's awesome to experience all of this and to be living out what my dad and brothers have lived out," Creed said. "I've just taken my own path and am creating my own story."
The first chapter of Creed's chronicle was getting a jumpstart on his college career by graduating high school early. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder enrolled at MSU in January and has thoroughly enjoyed his new surroundings in Starkville.
"I think it's a great opportunity for all (high school) seniors across the country that we get an opportunity to graduate early and be here," Creed said. "I've only been here for a few weeks but it feels like I've been here for forever. I'm excited to play in the spring, especially with a new coaching staff."
Playing in college and for a new coaching staff won't be the only changes Creed has to adapt to this spring. The former high school quarterback will also be switching positions and will likely begin his collegiate career as a slot receiver. Â
Instinctively, Creed's prior experience as a signal caller already has him developing relationships with his new teammates. He makes himself available as much as possible to run routes with the quarterbacks to work on their timing as they learn offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay's playbook together.
"Playing quarterback – whether you're thinking about it or not – you tend to go to your guy on third down, someone you trust with good hands," Creed said. "Whenever a quarterback wants to throw, you need to be out there as a freshman. You need to give those guys your time in order to build their trust."
Creed certainly had plenty of teammates he trusted in high school who helped him earn Mr. Football across all classifications in the state of Florida last fall. He threw for 2,693 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior while also rushing for 1,285 yards and 17 more scores while leading Buchholz to a 10-3 record and the state semifinals.
"Being named Mr. Football was definitely a blessing," Creed said. "I played with a lot of great players and they definitely helped me achieve that goal. Playing in Florida, you have a cool opportunity to play guys every week that are also good enough to get that award but it was an honor for sure."
Creed was listed as the No. 8 athlete in the nation by 247Sports.com and earned 18 scholarship offers during the recruiting process. He was originally committed to his mother's alma mater for five months last year but flipped his commitment in mid-October following an official visit to MSU.
"I enjoy this type of atmosphere first of all," Creed said. "I enjoy being out in the woods and being able to hunt. (Coming to Mississippi State) gave me the opportunity to do that and I have already been quite a bit. I have a lot of family around here too. I just think it's a good spot."
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