Buchholz QB Creed Whittemore next in line for family鈥檚 college athletic tradition
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (BVM) 鈥� Creed Whittemore is an exceptional athlete. That fact cannot be debated. As the starting quarterback for Buchholz High School with more than 2,100 passing yards, 760 rushing yards and 32 total scores last season, Whittemore has more than proven his exceptional athleticism. After helping lead the Bobcats to a 12-2 record and a spot in the final four of the state鈥檚 Class 7A playoffs, Whittemore has received plenty of attention for his potential at the next level, holding offers from numerous DI programs including Clemson, Miami and Penn State, just to name a few of the 17 offers he held.
鈥淚 think the guys around me were able to give me a great season and with that comes other stuff so I can鈥檛 complain,鈥� Whittemore said. 鈥淚鈥檓 where I am today and I think a lot of that has to do with the people that were a part of that team.鈥�
On May 7, Whittemore made it official when he committed to the University of Florida, keeping the in-state product in the city of Gainesville.
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While hearing of the opportunity he鈥檚 earned from the next level likely doesn鈥檛 come as a surprise given his abilities, what may be a surprise is finding out he鈥檚 just a small fraction of a Whittemore family that has a long history of Division I sports participation.
Creed鈥檚 father, Mark, who also doubles as his son鈥檚 head football coach at Buchholz, was once a standout Bobcats player in his own right. After helping Buchholz to the 4A Florida State Championship in 1990, still the school鈥檚 only state title, Mark would join the collegiate ranks at the University of Central Florida which was then a part of Division I-FCS and finished his career with 1,908 yards on 100 receptions for the Knights.
Creed鈥檚 mother, Missy, was formerly University of Florida volleyball standout Missy Aggertt prior to marrying Mark. She too proved to be a standout college player, finishing her Florida career second on the school’s all-time assists list with 4,464. She was named to the All-SEC first team in back-to-back seasons in 1994-1995 and also earned GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America first team honors both years as well.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun and we feel very blessed that we鈥檙e able to parent our kids through some things that we were able to experience as well,鈥� Mark said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e able to parent through the perspective of we鈥檝e seen a lot of what you鈥檙e going to see and that has helped us as a family. We鈥檙e very thankful for the lot of life we鈥檝e been given to be as blessed as we鈥檝e been and get to experience the things we have through sport.鈥�
Following a brief NFL stint, Mark returned to his high school as a teacher and assistant football coach in 1996 before taking over the program in 2012. The athletic couple would welcome four boys into the world: Luke, Trent, Creed and Andrew. The first year as head coach in 2012 marks the only one for Mark where he hasn鈥檛 coached one of his sons.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a chance to grow there as a family and as citizens here in Gainesville and be a part of that fabric which has been a real special thing to coach them in their high school ranks,鈥� Mark said. 鈥淥nce they get to the college ranks, I become a fan at that point.鈥�
Luke, the eldest, graduated from Buchholz in 2016. During his time under his father with the Bobcats Luke finished his high school career with 24 total touchdowns and caught 55 passes for 945 yards and seven touchdowns his senior year. A three-star recruit by ESPN, Luke would commit to the University of Troy where he played from 2017-2021, recording 75 catches for 1,063 yards and five receiving touchdowns.
Trent, who graduated from Buchholz in 2019, also excelled for the Bobcats under his dad鈥檚 tutelage. Playing all over the field at safety, cornerback, wide receiver and even quarterback for Buchholz, Trent finished his career with 93 receptions for 1,374 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns as well as three rushing touchdowns in his high school career.
Another top recruit, Trent was ranked a four-star athlete by ESPN and would commit to his mother鈥檚 alma mater at the University of Florida. Currently a redshirt sophomore wideout for the Gators, Trent had his most productive season last fall, catching 19 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown with eight starts.
鈥淭hem being where they were gives me more of an inside look to how I鈥檓 going to approach college football and not going into it with a big mind,鈥� Creed said. 鈥淎ll the recruiting stuff is fun and all but it goes away when you actually get to a place and it鈥檚 all about work when you get to that point. They want me to enjoy the process and make sure wherever you go really like the town and people because football can be hard but if you enjoy the town where you鈥檙e going it鈥檒l be a lot better.鈥�
Much like his brothers before him, Creed is destined for big time Division I football as well. Ranked as a four-star athlete by , Creed was considered one of the top 40 鈥渁thletes鈥� in the country and had seen his recruitment pick up over the last few months with offers from FAU, Florida, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State and Penn State and all coming since January.聽
鈥淚鈥檓 blessed and the Lord has given me a lot of opportunities to get offers and talk to a lot of coaches and go across the country and it鈥檚 been fun,鈥� Creed said.
Now, as the next Whittemore to make a jump to the big leagues and joining his brother with the Gators, Creed is looking to do something his two brothers couldn鈥檛 do before making the transition to DI football 鈥� winning a state title. Both his school and his dad have waited over 30 years for another title and Creed hopes he will be the Whittemore to finally break through to give the family patriarch his first state title as head coach.
鈥淭hat would be the biggest accomplishment of my life up to this point,鈥� Creed said. 鈥淚t very well could be the biggest accomplishment even if I end up winning a college national championship.鈥�
鈥淚t would be phenomenal,鈥� Mark said. 鈥淚 really would love to get to the state championship and it would be even sweeter if it was with one of my own kids.鈥�
While Creed will be the next Whittemore to participate in athletics collegiately, he likely won鈥檛 be the last. Andrew is coming up in sports and is an elite athlete who may be best at golf.聽
鈥淗e鈥檚 actually the best golfer of the family interestingly enough so he鈥檚 got that knack to play a game that鈥檚 fine tuned as golf,鈥� Mark said. 鈥淲e will see what happens with Andrew.鈥�
Given the athleticism the family has shown, expect more from Creed in his final season at Buchholz. With his college future now decided, Florida will get a player who has athleticism to spare.
鈥淥n the field I鈥檓 hopefully going to be a guy who comes to practice every day and works hard, is a leader in the locker room and never one the coaches have to worry about,鈥� Creed said. 鈥淚 can be a versatile kid who can throw it and play receiver but also a good runner.鈥�
