There was a lot of fanfare surrounding Central Valley’s Jordan Whitehead when he decided to commit to Pitt.
Once camp started, Whitehead underwent a position change, as despite being ranked the No. 6 cornerback in the nation, Whitehead will begin his Pitt career open Saturday against Youngstown State at safety.
While Whitehead isn’t listed as a starter on Pitt’s depth chart, one thing is for sure and that is he will see some playing time on Saturday.
For Whitehead, like any other freshman about to make his college debut, Saturday will be a very emotional day and one he will likely remember for a long time.
For a young kid making the jump from high school football to the ACC, controlling those emotions can often be a difficult challenge.
“It’s exciting,” said Whitehead. “First college game. It feels good for camp to be over. Now I am just focused on Saturday. There are a lot of people who are expecting a lot out of me so I just have to block everything out and concentrate on football.”
Dealing with distractions and emotions can always be a challenge to deal with, but things can be even more difficult for a local kid.
Luckily for Whitehead, he has a good head on his shoulders.
“It’s tough,” he said. “Everyone has high expectations for me. But my mom and dad are my biggest supporters and they do a good job of keeping me level headed.”
Being that Whitehead committed a long time ago, game action can’t get here soon enough as he has been looking forward to running out of the tunnel at Heinz Field.
“It feels like it has been such a long time since I committed,” said Whitehead. “But I wanted to be here to play in front of my family and friends. It’s going to be exciting.”
In terms of on the field, many are excited to see what Whitehead can do as a safety in Josh Conklin’s defense.
When he will be on the field is anyone’s guess right now, but expect to see a good bit of him.
“Coach Conklin has made sure we all get equal reps in practice,” said Whitehead. “Whoever starts, starts, but we are all going to see some playing time.”
When dealing with freshmen, often times they are overwhelmed by their first taste of college football.
Whitehead seems ready though as the Pitt defense could be perfect for the athletic freshman to fly around and make plays.
“I know the playbook,” Whitehead added. “I studied hard. Now it is just a matter of focusing on Youngstown State.”
“I think this defense is good for an athletic safety. After you read your keys it is just a matter of reading and reacting to the ball.”
Saturday won’t just mark the debut of Whitehead and the other Pitt freshmen, but it will also mark the head coaching debut for Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi.
One thing the Panthers want to avoid is a similar fate that occurred the last time the Panthers debuted a new head coach against Youngstown State, when Paul Chryst lost his opener at Heinz Field in 2012.
Whitehead won’t be drawing back to any memories from that afternoon.
“I don’t even remember that game,” he said.
How much of an impact as a safety and returner that Whitehead makes as a freshman will remain to be seen.
If he plays well you could very well see a lot of him in 2015.
Judging by his attitude that very well could be the case.
“I always say that when you get an opportunity, go out and make the most of it,” Whitehead said. “Go out there and make a name for yourself and make plays.”
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