Kentucky Wildcats Football: The Emergence of Jalen Whitlow

Nov 24, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Jalen Whitlow (13) scrambles for yardage against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Of all the things that stood out in Saturday’s Blue/White Game, the emergence of Jalen Whitlow is the one that took most by surprise. The staff had praised his performance during spring practices, but he really showed up for final scrimmage.
The breakthrough Whitlow has seen is so fascinating for a couple of reasons.
A.) Whitlow was an average to below-average player as a freshman last season. He completed just over 50% of his passes and seemed to loose control when the pocket broke down. If the defense could manage even a slight pass rush, Whitlow would often freeze up and take a sack on frantically try to escape. He seldom seemed confident or poised and his accuracy lacked.
B.) Whitlow was even signed as an “athlete,” which seldom leads to a player playing quarterback. Conventional thought was that Phillips and his staff planned on using Whitlow as an emergency quarterback, but planned to develop him long-term as a wide receiver they could also use in the Wildcat package. Injuries and ineffective play by other players on the roster led to him spending his entire freshman season under center.
C.) With Maxwell Smith and Patrick Towles on the roster as fellow sophomores, Whitlow would be worked into a switch to receiver. Technically speaking, Smith and Towles are both more natural fits for the air raid offense and the depth at receiver is such that he could possibly land a starting job there anyway. Add Reese Phillips’ addition to the roster and there seemed to be a possibility that Whitlow could be as far down as fourth on the depth chart at the end of spring.

Before the commencement of the 2013 spring practices, it appeared that Whitlow had little or no shot. An inaccurate sophomore-to-be that collapsed under pressure and wasn’t even good enough to start on his high school team at QB as a senior is seldom the best guy for the job.

Then The spring session kicked off. Week after week the coaches praised all three of their sophomore signal callers (Whitlow, Smith, and Towles) and continued to reiterate that it was a three man race. Whitlow seized the opportunity and completely reinvented himself as a passer. Prior to the Blue/White game, reports started to leak that Whitlow might, in fact, have worked his way into the competition and could possibly even be leading.

Most fans kept an I’ll believe it when I see it attitude understandably. But as improbable as it might have been, a new quarterback walked on the field last week. Exuding confidence and ability, Whitlow has cleaned up his footwork, improved his accuracy, and seems to fully grasp the playbook. He was easily the top performer of the three sophomore contenders and took the opportunity to show off something no one else has: elite athleticism. Now, the race is still on, but there’s a new favorite heading into the offseason. Whitlow not only brings a cannon of an arm and the poise of a player much older than himself, but backs it up with a knowledgable understanding of the playbook and knowing he adds another dimension to the offense with his legs.

The battle for the starting job is far from over and there’s still plenty of time for Smith and Towles to overtake him, but right now the leading candidate to start at quarterback might be one of the most unlikely ever.