LOS ANGELES — Jordan Whittington, a former wide receiver for the Texas Longhorns, now finds himself donning the blue and gold of the Los Angeles Rams as a dynamic rookie. His transition from college to the professional level has been smooth, a testament to the solid foundation he built under the guidance of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Whittington credits Sarkisian with having a huge direct influence on his growth as a football player and as a person.
“First and foremost, Steve Sarkisian is a really good person, and what I learned from Steve Sarkisian helped me on this level was. Second, man, that offense that he does is pro-style offense. So, translating over to professional football coming from that offense, made it a lot easier as far as, you know, than other schools, other coaches. Yeah, man, I owe him a lot.“
The pro-style nature of Texas’ offense has been a key factor in Whittington’s ability to transition smoothly to the NFL’s game. His admiration for Sarkisian’s system is reflected in his peers. “Everybody shows him a lot of respect, me and the other guys, especially the receivers we had because that offense we had was really pro-style,” Whittingham says.
But Whittington, beyond the X’s and O’s of football, is deeply connected to the University of Texas community.
“I’m the largest Texas fan there is. Second of all, the whole alums, we all got a group FaceTime, ’cause you know, you can put multiple — we all be on FaceTime every game. So, we are all there. When you’re watching it as a fan, it’s different. So, I understand why fans say some of the things that they say. But, you know, man, I got Texas rolling all the way.“
This brotherhood and support goes back and is added to the outstanding defensive play from the Longhorns, which Whittington looks at with appreciation.
“Well, you know, what has that defense looked like from your perspective regarding being able to watch that defense grow all season? And not actually receive the respect they deserved? You know, respect is earned. I think they’re all earning it,” he says. “Many people probably don’t say that, but they dominate, man. And you see how many stops they get when it’s fourth and one from the goal line, and they have the best DB in the country.“
As a product of Texas high school football, which is nearly akin to a religion there, Whittington brings the state’s zealous football culture.
“In Texas, even high school football, it’s a religion. So, we take any level of football down there seriously. And if you know me at all, I’m super, super connected to that university. And they are moms. Always be their biggest fan.“
No doubt, Jordan Whittington carries the full weight—literally and figuratively—of where he comes from, having begun his professional career with the Rams. Culminating each game, he represents the Rams not just as an end-user brand but as the embodiment of the storied lineage of the Texas Longhorns and the more extraordinary excellent ball heritage of the Lone Star State.
Whittington finished his rookie regular season with 22 receptions and 293 yards with the Rams.
