17 Days 'till Kickoff - #17 Damian Whitaker

It's now 17 days until kickoff of Catamount football at the Raymond James Stadium, home of the University of South Florida Bulls on August 30th in in Tampa, FL.

To help pass those long summer days until football season starts, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, we'll continue the 100 day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

#17 Damian Whitaker


Class: RS Sophomore
Hometown: Decatur, Ga.
High School: Druid Hills HS
Height / Weight: 6-0 / 195
Position: DB



2013 (Redshirt Freshman): Played in all 12 games as a defensive reserve and on special teams ... Credited with four total tackles including three solo stops ... Tallied a career-high two hits in the season finale against Appalachian State ... Led the team with three fumble recoveries, ranking tied for second in the Southern Conference in the category (3, 0.25/gm) ... Recovered fumbles against Virginia Tech, Georgia Southern and Appalachian State - all three games coming on the road.

2012 (Freshman): Redshirted ... Recovered a fumble for the lone takeaway in WCU's annual Spring Game, emerging from a scrum with the ball after John McBeth had punched it loose following a short pass completion.

Prior to Western Carolina: Three-year varsity letter winner who was twice named All-AVCA and twice tabbed to the All-Region team as a junior and senior ... Rushed for 322 yards and six touchdowns as a senior while also hauling in 23 passes for 264 yards and two TDs ... Defensively, recorded 63 tackles including 41 solo stops with four interceptions as a senior as a part of earning team MVP honors ... Earned the Matthew Hardeman Award and was a HBCU All-Star in his final season in high school ... Also ran track as a prep, earning Most Improved Runner.

Personal: Full name is Damian Raynard Whitaker ... Is the son of Reginald and Marian Whitaker ... Has three cousins who play football at Sewanee University, Villanova and Ole Miss.

Courtesy WCU Athletic Media Relations