WR Jatarvious Whitlow

[aubiefifty 16,742]

What Chip Lindsey 1st saw in Auburn wide receiver signee Jatarvious Whitlow

Updated on May 23, 2017 at 2:09 PM Posted on May 23, 2017 at 9:00 AM

5-6 minutes

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Chip Lindsey had less than two weeks to recruit for Auburn prior to National Signing Day in February after being named the Tigers' new offensive coordinator on Jan. 21. While that wasn't a lot of time -- and while Auburn had most of its class secured -- Lindsey was able to add his own touch to Auburn's 2017 signing class.

Lindsey was responsible for two late additions on the offensive side of the ball in tight end John Samuel Shenker, who was the first player Lindsey offered after arriving at Auburn, and wide receiver Jatarvious Whitlow, who was a signing day surprise for the program. While Lindsey was already well aware of Shenker, whose high school coach was Lindsey's one-time boss, Rush Propst, it was his interest in Whitlow that was one of the most intriguing aspects of signing day for Auburn.

"To me, (Whitlow)'s similar to a lot of really great Auburn players," Lindsey told AL.com last week at an Atlanta Auburn Club event in Johns Creek, Ga. "He's really blue-collared, was somewhat under the radar from his recruiting standpoint, and we just feel like he's a great fit."

It didn't take long for Lindsey to realize that, either, once he arrived on the Plains in January.

 

Whitlow can make defenders miss in open field

Whitlow, a three-star athlete from LaFayette, joined Auburn on National Signing Day as a wide receiver.

 

Whitlow, a three-star athlete from just down the road in LaFayette, first garnered Auburn's attention last summer when he attended one of the team's summer camps. There, Whitlow said, he ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash and made some one-on-one plays. A day later, while camping at UAB, he received a phone call from Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele with a scholarship offer.

There was one caveat, however: Auburn wanted 6-foot, 200-pound Whitlow as a defensive back -- something Whitlow was reluctant to do. He had experience at defensive back for LaFayette, where he was a do-everything player for the Bulldogs. Along with being the team's starting quarterback, he also played some receiver, running back, defensive back, linebacker and on special teams, where he was both punter and return man.

 

In his heart, Whitlow wanted a future on the offensive side of the ball.

As his senior year at LaFayette progressed, Auburn's interest cooled. Other schools came into the picture, including Troy and Tulane. After taking his visits, Whitlow was set on signing with the Green Wave on National Signing Day.

Whitlow discussed the decision with his parents and then informed Tulane's coaching staff the Sunday before signing day that he planned on coming. Then, one phone call changed all of that.

Just prior to signing day, Whitlow went to speak with his high school coach, James Lucas, between classes, which he routinely does. Lucas just received a call from Steele, informing him that the Tigers wanted Whitlow to join their class on the offensive side of the ball.

"I took off, ran upstairs and said, 'Hey Mr. Nelson, I got to go down here to talk to Coach,'" Whitlow recalled. "Everybody was like, 'what's wrong with you?' I said Auburn just called and offered me at receiver. I ran back down there and the minute I got on the phone with Coach Steele, he said 'Coach Chip likes you. He wants you to come down here and play receiver.' I said, 'say no more. I'm coming. That's it. I'm coming.'"

 

Whitlow ready to 'be dangerous in space' at slot receiver

Whitlow knows his football future will be at a new position – slot receiver – after signing with Auburn

 

Lindsey had seen Whitlow's highlight film and was immediately impressed by what he saw. As a senior at LaFayette, Whitlow passed for 2,292 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 2,147 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also earned ASWA Class 2A Back of the Year honors.

"When I saw the ball in his hand, he just made plays," Lindsey said. "A lot of times, you line guys up and run the 40 and measure their height and weight, and then you say 'OK, this is the kind of guy we want.' But I think sometimes you can't overlook the things that make up a different player, and I think he's got all those intangibles."

Lindsey made up his mind and ran the decision by head coach Gus Malzahn and receivers coach Kodi Burns, who said he was "all in" with the decision to offer Whitlow as a receiver.

On signing day, Whitlow surprised many when he revealed his decision to stay close to home and play for Auburn. After spending the last four months working out on his own and preparing for Auburn, he'll arrive on campus next week as one of Lindsey's first signees as offensive coordinator.

"He did a lot of things for his high school," Lindsey said. ".... He's a guy that we think can do a lot of different things, and I'm excited to get him on campus."

[gr82b4au 5,568]

Of course I want success for every kid, but I really root for the ones like this...

[auburnphan 6,050]

Wouldn't be surprised if he is moved to safety, early playing time and the needed depth at that position.

[alexava 6,973]

1 hour ago, auburnphan said:

Wouldn't be surprised if he is moved to safety, early playing time and the needed depth at that position.

That would have to be his decision. 

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

I thought we were past the days of signing high school QBs and converting them to WR. That hasn't worked out so well in the recent past. 

As said above, I hope the kid can play DB. I don't want to see another lifelong QB touch the field at WR for us...

[Rednilla 5,383]

31 minutes ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

I thought we were past the days of signing high school QBs and converting them to WR. That hasn't worked out so well in the recent past. 

As said above, I hope the kid can play DB. I don't want to see another lifelong QB touch the field at WR for us...

Remember Courtney Taylor? He was a QB in high school, and he did pretty well for us at receiver. In high school, it is often the best athlete on the team who plays QB, even if his skill set lines up better at another position. Evaluating players based upon where they will play in college, even if they aren't playing there in high school, is part of recruiting.

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

29 minutes ago, Rednilla said:

Remember Courtney Taylor? He was a QB in high school, and he did pretty well for us at receiver. In high school, it is often the best athlete on the team who plays QB, even if his skill set lines up better at another position. Evaluating players based upon where they will play in college, even if they aren't playing there in high school, is part of recruiting.

I fully agree with you. 100%. Hence my statement it hasn't worked out so well recently. If not for Courtney Taylor, I don't know of any that has. And Taylor was a LONG time ago. Almost 15 years. If you have to reach back that far to get an example of it working, it hasn't worked that well recently (which is what I said.)

Courtney Taylor is my 2nd favorite WR that I've ever seen wearing Orange and Blue. Behind Anthony Mix.

You are absolutely correct that in high school the most talented kids usually play QB. I have zero doubts of that. But on the flip side, I have zero doubt it hasn't worked so well lately. 

Guess I felt by signing 4 true WRs in the KD, Stove, NCM, and McClain class that we had turned the page on that conversion. Whitlow may turn out to be a superstar WR for us. But if we go by recent history, the outlook isnt exactly great... I hope I am wrong....with every fiver of my being....but it doesn't mean I am wrong.

 

There are plenty of lifelong WRs out there. We proved we can get them, why take the chance? 

He is listed as an ATH was it just QB and WR? He went to a really small school, so odds are he played on defense as well. Does he have FBS talent at DB? I don't know but i sure hope so.

[Rednilla 5,383]

31 minutes ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

I fully agree with you. 100%. Hence my statement it hasn't worked out so well recently. If not for Courtney Taylor, I don't know of any that has. And Taylor was a LONG time ago. Almost 15 years. If you have to reach back that far to get an example of it working, it hasn't worked that well recently (which is what I said.)

Courtney Taylor is my 2nd favorite WR that I've ever seen wearing Orange and Blue. Behind Anthony Mix.

You are absolutely correct that in high school the most talented kids usually play QB. I have zero doubts of that. But on the flip side, I have zero doubt it hasn't worked so well lately. 

Guess I felt by signing 4 true WRs in the KD, Stove, NCM, and McClain class that we had turned the page on that conversion. Whitlow may turn out to be a superstar WR for us. But if we go by recent history, the outlook isnt exactly great... I hope I am wrong....with every fiver of my being....but it doesn't mean I am wrong.

 

There are plenty of lifelong WRs out there. We proved we can get them, why take the chance? 

Dameyune Craig got them. I sincerely doubt we sign the haul of receivers we did in 2016 without Craig's recruiting ability.

As for the 2017 class, after the anemic performance of the offense last year (particularly the pass offense), it's hard to imagine many of the better pure receivers wanting to come in and play for us. As a matter of fact, our pass offense hasn't been particularly spectacular since Courtney Taylor was around (and his last year at Auburn was 2006, just 11 years ago, ftr) except 2010, when we had one of the greatest college players ever at QB.

BTW, a more recent example is CJ Uzomah, who was a QB in high school, and is still in the League as a tight end. I think Quan Bray played some QB in high school, as well, and he's still in the NFL, too.

I get why you'd want pure receivers over HS QBs transitioned to receiver. It's the same reason we all want Joey Gatewood to start at QB this year for his high school if he is to be a QB for us: repetition. And to an extent, I agree. However, sometimes that just isn't the way it works out, and I want the best playmakers we can get as opposed to simply having more reps at a player's future college position.

Now, Whitlow may or may not ever make an impact at Auburn, and if he does, it might end up being on defense instead of offense. But I don't mind the new OC taking a flyer on a kid who played 2A ball and had nearly as many rushing yards as passing yards, because that is the type of player who can easily transform into a playmaker elsewhere on the field.

Also, don't forget that we DID get one 4 star pure receiver in 2017, Noah something or other, so it's not like all our hope at wideout for this class rests on Whitlow's shoulders.

[bigman334 56]

for his skill set, Whitlow will be best at WR..he's electric and very tough in open space. Id say he's more of a WR than anything else. In high school some players are just so good you put them at QB to take advantage of how good they are. Whether they are a pure QB or not. The kid we recruited out of Tanner is another example of that type.

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

51 minutes ago, Rednilla said:

Dameyune Craig got them. I sincerely doubt we sign the haul of receivers we did in 2016 without Craig's recruiting ability.

As for the 2017 class, after the anemic performance of the offense last year (particularly the pass offense), it's hard to imagine many of the better pure receivers wanting to come in and play for us. As a matter of fact, our pass offense hasn't been particularly spectacular since Courtney Taylor was around (and his last year at Auburn was 2006, just 11 years ago, ftr) except 2010, when we had one of the greatest college players ever at QB.

BTW, a more recent example is CJ Uzomah, who was a QB in high school, and is still in the League as a tight end. I think Quan Bray played some QB in high school, as well, and he's still in the NFL, too.

I get why you'd want pure receivers over HS QBs transitioned to receiver. It's the same reason we all want Joey Gatewood to start at QB this year for his high school if he is to be a QB for us: repetition. And to an extent, I agree. However, sometimes that just isn't the way it works out, and I want the best playmakers we can get as opposed to simply having more reps at a player's future college position.

Now, Whitlow may or may not ever make an impact at Auburn, and if he does, it might end up being on defense instead of offense. But I don't mind the new OC taking a flyer on a kid who played 2A ball and had nearly as many rushing yards as passing yards, because that is the type of player who can easily transform into a playmaker elsewhere on the field.

Also, don't forget that we DID get one 4 star pure receiver in 2017, Noah something or other, so it's not like all our hope at wideout for this class rests on Whitlow's shoulders.

Again I agree. With some of it, more than you know.